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Google has officially verified that hackers supported by Iran are directing their efforts towards the electoral campaigns of US presidential contenders Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.
The hacker group known as “APT42,” associated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has been identified as the culprit behind the cyber threats aimed at high-profile individuals and organizations in Israel and the United States, including government officials and political campaigns.
This revelation stems from a recent threat report released by Google.
The campaign team of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris disclosed on Tuesday that they were the victims of a cyber attack orchestrated by foreign hackers.
This revelation follows closely after Donald Trump’s campaign raised concerns about a potential hack originating from Iran. A Harris campaign official revealed that in July, they were alerted by the FBI about being targeted by a foreign actor’s influence operation.
Despite these malicious attempts, the campaign assured that their robust cybersecurity measures have successfully prevented any breaches into their systems.
Google’s threat analysis group highlighted the persistent attempts made by APT42 to compromise the personal accounts of prominent figures associated with President Joe Biden, Vice President Harris, and Trump.
The hacker group employs tactics such as phishing, wherein they customize deceptive efforts to trick individuals into disclosing their log-in credentials for accounts like Gmail.
Despite these tactics, Google reported that it thwarted APT42’s endeavors to hack the campaigns of Biden and Trump in 2020.
The report also revealed that personal email accounts of individuals linked to Biden and Trump were among the targets of APT42’s phishing campaigns, with Google successfully blocking multiple unauthorized attempts to access these accounts.
Google’s cautionary call and US State department’s response
In response to the escalating cyber threats, Google issued a stern warning urging high-risk individuals involved in the upcoming election to remain vigilant and leverage the enhanced security defenses provided by the tech giant.
Concurrently, the US State Department issued a caution to Iran regarding potential repercussions for election interference, prompted by the recent hacking incidents involving the Trump campaign.
The breach resulted in confidential documents being leaked to journalists, including research material used to vet Trump’s potential running mate, J.D. Vance.
The Trump campaign has attributed the breach to Iran, cautioning media outlets against disseminating the leaked documents and emphasizing the gravity of such actions in serving the interests of adversaries.
By incorporating relevant subheadings and refining the content for clarity and impact, the rewritten article now offers a concise and authoritative overview of the cyber threats targeting US presidential campaigns, underscoring the importance of cybersecurity vigilance in the current political landscape.
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