Trump campaign says it was hacked, blames 'foreign sources hostile to the United States'

Concerns over Iran-backed attack on US election

Microsoft has revealed that Iran is targeting the US presidential election with cyberattacks and fake news. Behnam Ben Taleblu at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies joined LiveNOW from FOX's Josh Breslow to discuss the latest out of the Middle East.

Donald Trump’s campaign said some of its internal communications were hacked after the news outlet Politico began receiving anonymous emails with documents from Trump’s campaign.

Politico said it has received hundreds of pages of documents – including a research dossier on Sen. JD Vance, Trump’s running mate – since July 22.

The person who sent them used an AOL email account and identified themselves only as "Robert."

Asked how they obtained the documents, the person told Politico: "I suggest you don’t be curious about where I got them from. Any answer to this question, will compromise me and also legally restricts you from publishing them."

Trump’s campaign blamed "foreign sources hostile to the United States." They cited a report Microsoft published Friday that said Iran has ramped up efforts to influence the 2024 presidential election online.

The Microsoft report doesn’t specify Iran’s intentions besides sowing chaos in the United States, though U.S. officials have previously hinted that Iran particularly opposes Trump. U.S. officials also have expressed alarm about Tehran's efforts to seek retaliation for a 2020 strike on an Iranian general that was ordered by Trump.

Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a rally at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse at Montana State University on August 9, 2024 in Bozeman, Montana. (Photo by Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images)

The report goes a step beyond anything U.S. intelligence officials have disclosed, giving specific examples of Iranian groups and the actions they have taken so far. Iran's United Nations mission denied it had plans to interfere or launch cyberattacks in the U.S. presidential election.

Microsoft’s report identified four examples of recent Iranian activity that the company expects to increase as November’s election draws closer.

According to Microsoft, a group linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard in June targeted a high-ranking U.S. presidential campaign official with a phishing email, a form of cyberattack often used to gather sensitive information, according to the report, which didn't identify which campaign was targeted. The group concealed the email’s origins by sending it from the hacked email account of a former senior adviser, Microsoft said.

Trump’s campaign pointed to the June phishing incident as the source of the hack.

Iran denied the reports in a statement emailed to the Associated Press:

"Iran has been the victim of numerous offensive cyber operations targeting its infrastructure, public service centers, and industries. Iran’s cyber capabilities are defensive and proportionate to the threats it faces. Iran has neither the intention nor plans to launch cyber attacks. The U.S. presidential election is an internal matter in which Iran does not interfere."

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The report also reveals how Russia and China are exploiting U.S. political polarization to advance their own divisive messaging in a consequential election year.

The Microsoft report said that as Iran escalates its cyber influence, Russia-linked actors also have pivoted their influence campaigns to focus on the U.S. election, while actors linked to the Chinese Communist Party have taken advantage of pro-Palestinian university protests and other current events in the U.S. to try to raise U.S. political tensions.

Microsoft said it has continued to monitor how foreign foes are using generative AI technology. The increasingly cheap and easy-to-access tools can generate lifelike fake images, photos and videos in seconds, prompting concern among some experts that they will be weaponized to mislead voters this election cycle.

Top intelligence officials said last month that Russia continues to pose the greatest threat when it comes to election disinformation, while there are indications that Iran is expanding its efforts and China is proceeding cautiously when it comes to 2024.