The Federal Bureau of Investigation (F.B.I.) announced on Monday that it is conducting an investigation into a suspected cyber intrusion involving the Trump campaign. A senior law enforcement official indicated that this investigation may also extend to attempts to breach the accounts of prominent Democrats, with indications that the cyberattack may have originated from Iranian sources.
In a succinct statement, an F.B.I. spokesperson confirmed that the bureau is looking into “a campaign cyberintrusion,” which came to light shortly after former President Donald J. Trump claimed that Iran had targeted his campaign efforts. However, the F.B.I. did not explicitly name either Iran or Mr. Trump in its statement. Furthermore, the bureau did not disclose the full extent of the breach or whether it affected other political campaigns or figures.
According to the law enforcement official familiar with the matter, investigators are also probing an attempt to access accounts linked to the Democratic presidential campaign. While the precise timing of this attempted breach remains unclear, the official noted that there is currently no evidence to suggest that the infiltration was successful. The team of Vice President Kamala Harris, which is vigilant in monitoring cyber threats, reported no awareness of any breach within its systems, as stated by a campaign official who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive security arrangements.
On Friday, Microsoft publicly revealed that a hacking group associated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had managed to infiltrate the account of a former senior aide to an unnamed presidential campaign. Roger J. Stone, a long-time adviser to Mr. Trump, mentioned in a phone interview on Monday evening that Microsoft had contacted him months prior, alerting him that his Hotmail email account had been compromised and attributing the breach to Iranian actors.
Following this, Mr. Stone received a call from the F.B.I. indicating that his Gmail account had also been hacked. The bureau believed that his account had been utilized by malicious entities to successfully access internal communications of other members within Mr. Trump’s political operation.
The F.B.I. has consistently raised alarms regarding foreign interference in the forthcoming election, particularly emphasizing the use of artificial intelligence to disseminate misinformation. The agency has specifically pointed out Iran, China, and Russia as key players in these nefarious activities. Russia, in particular, has a notorious history of attempting to disrupt American electoral processes, having previously targeted the Democratic National Committee during the 2016 election cycle.
