Trump Campaign Emails Hacked

Former President Donald Trump’s campaign spokesman has claimed that  some of its internal communications had been hacked, blaming the Iranian government. He did not, however, provide direct evidence. 

This statement follows a Microsoft report detailing foreign agents’ attempts to interfere in US campaign. Microsoft has reported that the Trump campaign was targeted and a person going by the name “Robert” was emailing internal Trump campaign materials to news organisations in July.

Speaking at at the recent DEF CON security conference in Las Vegas Rob Joyce, the former National Security Agency director of cyber security commented that “we are in a cycle again, with hack and leak already starting.”

US intelligence officials said in July that Iran was one of several countries seeking to either influence or interfere in national elections, alongside Russia and China. Joyce told the DEF CON audience that he would not speculate on who was behind the campaign and had no inside information, but noted that Iran, Russia, and China have all engaged in election interference operations. 

Microsoft’s Threat Analysis Center said that hackers connected to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) sent a phishing email to a high-ranking official on a presidential campaign from the compromised account of a former senior adviser. 

According to a report from Google, the hacking group APT42, also known as Charming Kitten, has been carrying out these cyberattacks since May. APT42's methods involve sending phishing emails with malicious links or infected PDF attachments, making it difficult for users to detect the threat.

Google’s report reveals that at least one of these attacks successfully compromised the email account of a well-known political advisor.

These reports are set against a background in which government agencies around the world have experienced a significant increase in cyber attacks last year. Notably, there was a 38% increase in malware, 51% in ransomware and a whacking 629% increase in encrypted threats. 

Executive VP of EMEA, Spencer Starkey at  SonicWall commented “The cyber battleground continues to expand... These cyberattacks raise concerns about a country’s own national security, critical national infrastructure as well as the safety of sensitive information."

Protecting government networks relies on constant communication and cooperation, working together with the private sector and imposing strict punishments, to deter future attacks, according to Starkey.

Following the recent assassination attempt on Trump, reports have emerged that a threat from Iran prompted the Secret Service to increase the ex-President's protection prior to the failed  attempt. It is not known if this is related to the Pennsylvania shooting.

This an echo of the controversy over Hilary Clinton's failed  campaign in 2016 and Joe Biden's successful Presidential bid in 2020, when hackers from Russia were suspected of intercepting campaign emails. 

Google   |   Microsoft   |   SonicWall   |   APNews   |    Politico   |     Cyberscoop   |   Guardian   |    ABC   |   

Irish Times   

Image: hoekstrarogier

You Might Also Read: 

Elections 2024 - Fake News & Misinformation [extract]:


If you like this website and use the comprehensive 7,000-plus service supplier Directory, you can get unrestricted access, including the exclusive in-depth Directors Report series, by signing up for a Premium Subscription.

  • Individual £5 per month or £50 per year. Sign Up
  • Multi-User, Corporate & Library Accounts Available on Request

Cyber Security Intelligence: Captured Organised & Accessible




 

« EU Regulators Threaten To Prosecute Elon Musk
Business Identity Theft: Saving The Digital World From Fake Businesses »

CyberSecurity Jobsite
Perimeter 81

Directory of Suppliers

Perimeter 81 / How to Select the Right ZTNA Solution

Perimeter 81 / How to Select the Right ZTNA Solution

Gartner insights into How to Select the Right ZTNA offering. Download this FREE report for a limited time only.

DigitalStakeout

DigitalStakeout

DigitalStakeout enables cyber security professionals to reduce cyber risk to their organization with proactive security solutions, providing immediate improvement in security posture and ROI.

ZenGRC

ZenGRC

ZenGRC - the first, easy-to-use, enterprise-grade information security solution for compliance and risk management - offers businesses efficient control tracking, testing, and enforcement.

LockLizard

LockLizard

Locklizard provides PDF DRM software that protects PDF documents from unauthorized access and misuse. Share and sell documents securely - prevent document leakage, sharing and piracy.

Practice Labs

Practice Labs

Practice Labs is an IT competency hub, where live-lab environments give access to real equipment for hands-on practice of essential cybersecurity skills.

StratoKey

StratoKey

StratoKey is an intelligent Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) that secures your cloud and SaaS applications against data breaches, so you can do secure and compliant business in the cloud.

Nok Nok Labs

Nok Nok Labs

Nok Nok is a market leader in next generation authentication for cloud, mobile and IoT applications.

Cyber Army Indonesia (CyberArmyID)

Cyber Army Indonesia (CyberArmyID)

Cyber Army Indonesia (CyberArmyID) is the first platform in Indonesia to collect and validate reports from hackers (referred to as Bug Hunter) regarding vulnerabilities that exist in an organization.

Aptible

Aptible

Security Management and Compliance for Developers. Aptible helps teams pass information security audits and deploy audit-ready apps and databases.

Padlock

Padlock

Padlock is a trusted platform with an intimate knowledge of the cybersecurity industry that connects businesses with freelance professionals

Liquid Technology

Liquid Technology

Liquid Technology provide DOD- and NIST-compliant data destruction and EPA-compliant e-waste disposal and recycling services throughout North America, Europe and Asia.

ArcRan Information Technology

ArcRan Information Technology

ArcRan concentrates on developing comprehensive cybersecurity solutions for smart city applications. We believe that cybersecurity is the fundamental enabler of IoT development.

IntaPeople

IntaPeople

IntaPeople are IT and engineering recruitment specialists. We have specialist teams for job sectors including Cybersecurity, IT infrastructure and DevOps.

MOXFIVE

MOXFIVE

MOXFIVE is a specialized technical advisory firm founded to bring clarity to the complexity of cyber attacks.

HENSOLDT Cyber

HENSOLDT Cyber

HENSOLDT Cyber introduces a paradigm shift to cyber security. Our products have been designed to ensure the integrity of embedded systems at the core: the operating system and the processor.

Sencode Cyber Security

Sencode Cyber Security

Sencode provides a range of IT security solutions and services, including penetration testing and cyber awareness training to help mitigate the growing risks to your corporate infrastructure.

Anjuna Security

Anjuna Security

Software from Anjuna Security effortlessly enables enterprises to safely run even their most sensitive workloads in the public cloud.

HashiCorp

HashiCorp

At HashiCorp, we believe infrastructure enables innovation, and we are helping organizations to operate that infrastructure in the cloud.

GO Business

GO Business

GO Business are a specialised B2B team within GO that caters to the communication needs of the local business community in Malta.

Driven Technologies

Driven Technologies

Driven is a cloud native service provider transforming the way companies leverage technology to improve business by securing, modernizing, and connecting applications, users, and data.

PureID

PureID

Protect your enterprise with PureAUTH #IAMFirewall, Resilient SSO platform, purpose built to provide Passwordless Authentication & Zero Trust Access, by default.