Google has confirmed that Iranian-backed hackers attacked the campaigns of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.
A hacking group known as "APT42" linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has targeted high-ranking individuals and organizations in Israel and the United States, including government officials and political campaigns.
Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris' team said it was attacked by foreign hackers, days after her rival Donald Trump's campaign said it had been hacked by Iran.
"In July, the campaign's legal and security teams were notified by the FBI that we were the target of a malicious influence operation," a Harris representative told AFP.
"We have robust cybersecurity measures in place and are not aware of any security breaches in our systems," he added.
Google's Threat Analysis Group continues to see failed attempts by APT42 to compromise personal accounts of individuals associated with President Joe Biden, Vice President Harris and Trump.
The hacking group works by gathering information about targets and tailoring "phishing" efforts to trick victims into revealing information about accounts such as Gmail.
Examples given in the Google report include posing as a think tank or other trusted contact to lure victims to fake video meeting landing pages where login credentials are required for access.
While hackers' arsenals abound with technical tools, some opt for "social engineering" tactics that trick people into clicking on Internet links or landing on realistic replicas of legitimate web pages.
Google says it has foiled APT42's attempts to hack the 2020 Biden and Trump campaigns.
In May and June of this year, the Iranian hacking group's targets included the personal email accounts of dozens of people associated with Biden or Trump. Google blocked numerous APT42 intrusion attempts.
Google also reported that the group gained access to the personal Gmail account of an influential political consultant.
"APT42 is a sophisticated, persistent threat, and they show no signs of stopping in their attempts to attack users and implement new tactics. This spring and summer, they demonstrated the ability to conduct multiple simultaneous phishing campaigns, particularly focused on Israel and the United States," warned Google.
The giant urged high-risk individuals connected to the upcoming election to remain vigilant and take advantage of the enhanced protections offered by the Internet company.
The US State Department has already warned Iran of the consequences of meddling in the election following the Trump campaign's announcement of a hacking attack. The breach led to the release of private documents to reporters, including a survey of the campaign used to test the popularity of vice presidential candidate JD Vance.
Washington warned the media not to reprint the documents, saying doing so would be "doing the bidding of America's enemies." | BGNES
