Three men with links to Iran’s government have been indicted in a hacking scheme aimed at compromising former President Donald Trump's campaign, the Department of Justice announced.
The indictment, unsealed on Friday, accuses the suspects of conducting coordinated cyberattacks against U.S. political entities, including the Trump campaign, in the months leading up to the 2020 presidential election, as Fox News reports.
According to federal prosecutors, the three men -- Masoud Jalili, Seyyed Ali Aghamiri, and Yasar Balaghi -- were charged with several offenses related to their alleged involvement in the plot. Their actions were reportedly carried out on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a powerful branch of the Iranian military. The charges include conspiracy to obtain information from a protected computer, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
The indictment lays out a series of cyberattacks that targeted U.S. political and governmental organizations. Federal officials said the three hackers used spear phishing and social engineering techniques to infiltrate the accounts of individuals connected to political campaigns, government officials, and media organizations. The attacks allegedly focused on gathering sensitive information about the Trump campaign and other U.S. political figures.
Some of the stolen information was reportedly distributed to individuals tied to President Joe Biden’s campaign and various media outlets. Prosecutors say this dissemination began in June of the election year. While the indictment does not suggest that the Biden campaign knowingly participated, the revelation has prompted concerns about foreign interference in U.S. elections. The hackers also face accusations of using fraudulent domains to impersonate legitimate websites and conduct phishing attacks, a method designed to trick targets into revealing login credentials.
Federal authorities emphasized that this latest hacking attempt is part of a broader Iranian strategy to destabilize U.S. political processes. According to the DOJ, Iran has been targeting Trump's campaign and his associates ever since the U.S. military’s killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in January 2020.
The Justice Department's statement coincides with a recent briefing to the Trump campaign, where officials outlined “real and specific threats” from Iranian actors aimed at assassinating the former president. Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Trump, highlighted the grave risks posed by these threats, calling Iran’s actions an effort to “destabilize and sow chaos in the United States.” Cheung added that intelligence and law enforcement agencies are working diligently to protect Trump and ensure the upcoming election is secure from foreign interference.
The indictment comes at a time of heightened tension between the U.S. and Iran, particularly following the Soleimani killing. American officials have repeatedly warned that Iran’s cyber capabilities are a growing threat to U.S. national security. This latest incident underscores the persistent efforts of Iranian actors to meddle in American political affairs, particularly as Trump remains a significant figure in U.S. politics.
The charges leveled against Jalili, Aghamiri, and Balaghi reflect a sophisticated operation aimed at influencing the political landscape of the United States. The three men face multiple charges, including fraud involving authentication features and access device fraud, which could lead to severe legal consequences if they are apprehended. For now, it remains unclear whether the suspects are currently in custody or have been apprehended by authorities.
The indictment serves as a reminder of the ongoing vulnerability of U.S. political institutions to cyberattacks, especially from nation-state actors like Iran. As the 2024 election approaches, federal officials are urging heightened vigilance against foreign interference.
According to law enforcement officials, cyberattacks targeting political figures are not a new phenomenon, but the scale and persistence of these efforts have raised alarms. The DOJ's unsealing of the indictment highlights the serious nature of such threats and underscores the need for comprehensive cybersecurity measures across all levels of government and political campaigns.
Meanwhile, U.S. officials continue to closely monitor cyber activity from Iran and other hostile nations, with the goal of preventing future attacks that could undermine the integrity of U.S. elections. With ongoing geopolitical tensions between the two nations, the risk of cyberattacks is expected to remain high.
As the indictment moves through the courts, the U.S. government is likely to face increasing pressure to develop more robust defenses against foreign actors seeking to exploit the digital vulnerabilities of its political systems. The involvement of Iranian hackers in such a high profile case points to the evolving nature of international cyber warfare and the growing threat it poses to democratic institutions worldwide.
