Iran hackers target prominent American, Israeli individuals, including Harris, Trump campaigns – Google report

A recent Google threat report has revealed that a hacker group known as APT42, linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has been targeting high-profile individuals and organizations in both Israel and the United States. This includes government officials, political campaigns, and other prominent figures.

The presidential campaigns of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have reported cyberattacks, with the Trump campaign suspecting Iranian involvement. According to RFI, Harris’s campaign was informed by the FBI in July about a foreign influence operation targeting them. A campaign official stated to AFP that their cybersecurity measures are strong and no breaches have been detected.

Google’s threat analysis team has noted APT42’s ongoing attempts to compromise personal accounts of those connected to President Joe Biden, Vice President Harris, and Donald Trump. The group uses phishing tactics and social engineering to deceive victims into providing login credentials. Although APT42’s attempts to hack into the Biden and Trump campaigns in 2020 were thwarted, the group did manage to access the personal Gmail account of a prominent political consultant this year.

In response to the Trump campaign’s breach, the US State Department has warned Iran of potential consequences for election interference. The Trump campaign, which had documents leaked to reporters, including vetting research on J.D. Vance, has urged media outlets not to republish these documents, arguing that it would aid America’s adversaries.