The campaign of former President Donald Trump has been targeted in a cyberattack that officials are attributing to Iran.
The Trump campaign revealed on August 10 that it had been the victim of a cyberattack, with internal documents stolen and later leaked to the media.
According to a spokesperson for the campaign, Steven Cheung, the attack was linked to “foreign sources hostile to the United States,” specifically pointing to Iran.
Microsoft’s cyber threat assessment unit, the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center (MTAC), reported on August 9 that an Iranian group tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, known as Mint Sandstorm, was behind the breach.
The group used a spear phishing email in June, sent from a compromised account belonging to a former senior campaign adviser, to target a high-ranking official on the Trump campaign.
This isn’t the first time Mint Sandstorm has attempted such a breach. In the 2020 U.S. presidential election, the same group made similar efforts to infiltrate a presidential campaign, though those attempts were unsuccessful.
Foreign Interference and U.S. Elections
The Trump campaign’s breach is part of a broader effort by Iran to influence the upcoming U.S. election.
U.S. intelligence officials and Microsoft have noted a significant increase in cyber-enabled influence activities by Iran, which have included both hacking attempts and the creation of fake news sites aimed at shaping voter opinion.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence confirmed that Iranian groups have been targeting U.S. political campaigns, particularly that of Trump, in an effort to influence the November election.
The intelligence community suggests that Iran’s leaders are motivated by a desire to avoid an outcome that could escalate tensions with the United States.
Leaked Documents and Political Implications
The breach has already led to the leaking of sensitive campaign documents.
Politico reported that it began receiving emails from an anonymous source in July, containing internal Trump campaign materials.
Among the leaked documents was a 271-page research dossier on Senator JD Vance (R-Ohio), who was vetted as a potential vice-presidential candidate and later selected as Trump’s running mate.
“These documents were obtained illegally from foreign sources hostile to the United States, intended to interfere with the 2024 election and sow chaos throughout our democratic process,” Cheung told Politico.
The timing of the leak has also been linked to ongoing Iranian plots against Trump, who has remained a target of Iranian hostility following his 2020 order to assassinate Iranian General Qassem Soleimani.
The Trump campaign has not yet confirmed whether it has contacted law enforcement regarding the breach.
A Warning to the Media
In his statement, Cheung warned media outlets against reprinting the stolen documents, arguing that doing so would be aiding America’s enemies.
“Any media or news outlet reprinting documents or internal communications are doing the bidding of America’s enemies and doing exactly what they want,” Cheung said in a statement.
The Trump campaign has called for vigilance and accountability as the nation moves closer to election day.