According to multiple sources familiar with the situation, the FBI and other investigators looking into the apparent hack and leak of Trump campaign documents—which Donald Trump has attributed to Iran—suspect that the hackers were able to gain access to Roger Stone’s email account. Stone is a longtime Republican and Trump operative.
As part of a relentless effort to get access to campaign networks, the hackers attempted to breach the account of a senior Trump campaign staffer using Stone’s email address, according to one of the people. The June hacking attack sparked a rush to control the situation and assess whether there was a wider cyber danger from Iran among the Trump campaign, the FBI, and Microsoft, which discovered the incursion attempts.
According to one of the people familiar with the matter, Stone was notified by Microsoft and the FBI that a “Foreign State Actor” had gained access to his personal email account and was planning to use it to trick Trump campaign officials into clicking on a link that would allow the attackers to take control of their computer.
Stone’s account was targeted, as first revealed by The Washington Post. Regarding whose account was compromised, the Trump team chose not to respond.
According to one of the individuals, the FBI also informed the Biden-Harris team about Iranian hackers’ targeting of the campaign in June.
A spokesperson from the Harris campaign told CNN, “We are not aware of any security breaches of our systems. Our campaign vigilantly monitors and protects against cyber threats.”
According to one of the people familiar with the matter, Stone was notified by Microsoft and the FBI that a “Foreign State Actor” had gained access to his personal email account and was planning to use it to trick Trump campaign officials into clicking on a link that would allow the attackers to take control of their computer.
Stone’s account was targeted, as first revealed by The Washington Post. Regarding whose account was compromised, the Trump team chose not to respond.
According to one of the individuals, the FBI also informed the Biden-Harris team about Iranian hackers’ targeting of the campaign in June.
A spokesperson from the Harris campaign told CNN, “We are not aware of any security breaches of our systems. Our campaign vigilantly monitors and protects against cyber threats.”
The discovery confirms rising evidence that Iranian agents are actively attempting to sway the US presidential election in 2024, surpassing Russian efforts in this regard. US intelligence authorities issued a warning last month about Iran’s continued clandestine social media effort, which aims to undermine Trump’s candidacy and heighten “social discord” in the US before the election in November. According to Microsoft, part of this action has been developing bogus news websites aimed at both liberal and conservative voters.
Avril Haines, the US director of national intelligence, has also charged Iran of trying to subtly incite anti-Israeli demonstrations in the US by impersonating activists online and, in certain circumstances, giving demonstrators financial assistance.
