Iran Ramps Up Cyber Efforts to Sway US Elections, Gov’t Warns
The United States has issued a warning concerning Iran's series of cyberattack on both the Presidential campaigns and its citizens.
The US government has issued a warning about Iran attempts to influence the upcoming elections through cyber attacks on both the Presidential campaigns and American citizens.
According to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the FBI, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Iran is launching cyberattacks on America to breach the country’s election system, undermine trust in the United States’ democratic systems and access sensitive information.
“Iran perceives this year’s elections to be particularly consequential in terms of the impact they could have on its national security interests, increasing Tehran’s inclination to try to shape the outcome,” states the public advisory.
“We have observed increasingly aggressive Iranian activity during this election cycle, specifically involving influence operations targeting the American public and cyber operations targeting Presidential campaigns.”
Iranian Hackers Allegedly Breaches Trump’s Election Campaign
In the weeks leading up to Iran’s alleged cyberattacks on the election system, the US presidential candidate Donald Trump had publicly accused Iran of hacking his campaign.
Trump released a statement that day alleging that the Iranian government had pilfered and disseminated confidential internal documents. However, he could not provide any evidence of Iran’s involvement in the attack.
America and Iran: A Cycle of Confrontation
The news of alleged Iranian cyberattacks on the US and a Presidential candidate comes as no surprise, considering the fraught history and ongoing tensions that define the United States and Iran relationship.
A recent report from February showed that words flew around about President Joe Biden preparing to launch a prolonged series of airstrikes or bombing raids in Iran in response to the country allegedly killing three U.S. soldiers in Jordan through a drone attack.
Following the circulating rumors, Iran issued a stark warning, pledging a robust response to any US military action against Iran or its assets.
Although the US did not pursue additional actions in the immediate aftermath of the rumors, it subsequently conducted a cyber operation against an Iranian surveillance vessel later that month. The ship in question monitored and collected information on cargo ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
