Iranian Cyber Actors Attempt to Meddle in U.S. Presidential Election

Iranian cyber actors attempted to influence the U.S. presidential election by sending stolen material from Donald Trump's campaign to individuals involved in Joe Biden's campaign. They also targeted U.S. media organizations. This operation was part of a broader effort to fan political discord, U.S. agencies reported.

Iranian cyber actors have sought to meddle in the U.S. presidential election, targeting individuals involved in President Joe Biden's reelection campaign by sending them stolen material from Republican candidate Donald Trump's campaign.

According to a joint statement by the FBI, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and Office of the Director of National Intelligence, these activities have been ongoing since June, with stolen non-public material linked to Trump's campaign being sent to U.S. media organizations. Iran has consistently denied interfering in U.S. elections.

In August, U.S. officials accused Iran of cyberattacks on both presidential campaigns as part of a broader campaign to instigate political discord. Emails containing excerpts from Trump's campaign were sent to Biden campaign members in late June and early July. Harris's campaign described these as phishing attempts targeting personal emails.

(With inputs from agencies.)