U.S. intelligence officials confidently stated on Monday that Iran was responsible for hacking Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. They described the cyber intrusion as part of Iran’s broader effort to interfere in American politics and undermine faith in democratic institutions.
Although the Trump campaign and private-sector cybersecurity investigators had previously attributed the hacking attempts to Iran, this was the first time the U.S. government officially blamed Iran for the attack.
A joint statement from the FBI and other federal agencies also confirmed that Iran was behind attempts to hack Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign, targeting individuals with direct access to the presidential campaigns of both political parties.
Federal officials explained that the goal of the hacking and other activities was not only to sow discord but also to influence the outcome of elections that Iran considers crucial for its national security interests.
The statement further confirmed the findings of private companies like Microsoft, who recently issued a report detailing foreign agents’ attempts to interfere in this year’s election. Google separately revealed that an Iranian group linked to the country’s Revolutionary Guard had tried to infiltrate the personal email accounts of people associated with President Joe Biden and Trump.
The overall message from the statement released by the FBI, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency highlighted the aggressive Iranian activities during the election cycle.
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