According to multiple media reports over the weekend, the Trump campaign said its emails and documents were stolen by “foreign sources” with the goal of “creating chaos” and influencing the 2024 presidential election.
On Saturday, Politico said it had been receiving Trump campaign documents for months through anonymous AOL emails; the apparent leaker went only by the name “Robert,” including a 271-page review , which describes public vulnerabilities of Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance, as well as parts of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio’s dossier. According to Politico , “Robert” claimed to have “legal and court documents” and “internal campaign discussions” on Donald Trump.
Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung told reporters in response to the news: “Any media or news outlet that reprints documents or internal communications is doing so at the behest of the enemies of the United States.” Cheung mentioned An Aug. 9 report from Microsoft detailing a June phishing attack that targeted an unnamed “senior” campaign official using a compromised account of a former adviser.
According to Microsoft, hackers linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps sent spear-phishing emails that included “fake forwards with a hyperlink that directed traffic through an attacker-controlled domain and then redirected to the listed domains. Microsoft said the group goes by several names, including Mint Sandstorm and Charming Kitten. Over the past few years, the group has been accused of targeting the World Health Organization, sending malware-laden holiday greetings to U.S. officials, and Plenty of other attacks.
In a report this week, Microsoft said it was tracking the rise of “significant influence activities by Iranian actors.” The company added that Iran-linked campaigns stand out from Russia’s efforts “because they emerged late in the election season and employed cyberattacks more geared toward electoral conduct rather than influencing voters.”
In 2016, a hacker group called Guccifer 2.0 accessed the emails of the Democratic National Committee through spear phishing attacks (phishing attempts that target a specific person or group). Hackers leaked thousands of DNC emails and documents ahead of the 2016 Democratic National Convention, leading to the resignation of then-DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz and the Justice Department’s investigation of 12 Russian Officers pressed charges.
