Federal prosecutors have secured criminal charges against multiple Iranian hackers for allegedly targeting members of former President Donald Trump’s presidential campaign as part of a malicious cyber scheme, multiple sources familiar with the investigation confirmed to CBS News.
The Iranian hackers were indicted by a grand jury on Thursday and charges could be announced as soon as Friday, the sources said. The nature of the charges and the names of the defendants were unknown as the charging documents remain sealed. The exact number of people charged was also not confirmed.
ABC News and Politico first reported on elements of the indictment.
A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment on CBS News’ reporting. A Trump campaign spokesperson also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Once the allegations are made public, they will mark an escalation in the fight against the federal government Iran’s alleged efforts to interfere in the 2024 presidential election. Federal officials have warned that Iran wants to undermine Trump’s campaign.
The FBI launched investigations earlier this summer after both the Trump and then-Biden campaigns experienced phishing attempts targeting people associated with the candidates, sources told CBS News in August.
Last week, federal officials from the FBI and other intelligence agencies released a statement confirming: “Iranian malicious cyber actors sent unsolicited emails to individuals then associated with President Biden’s campaign in late June and early July, containing a excerpt of stolen, non-public material from former President Trump’s campaign as text in the emails. There is currently no information indicating that these recipients have responded.”
The statement went on to say that “Since June, Iranian malicious cyber actors have continued their efforts to send stolen, non-public material related to former President Trump’s campaign to US media organizations…Foreign actors are increasing their activities to influence the election as we approach November. ”
Iran’s United Nations mission previously denied plans to interfere or conduct cyberattacks in the U.S. presidential election, telling CBS News in a statement last week that “the Islamic Republic of Iran is not interfering in the internal turmoil or electoral controversies of the United States. “, adding that “Iran has no motive or intention to interfere in the US elections and therefore categorically rejects such allegations.”
Trump’s campaign unveiled last month that it had been hacked and said Iranian actors were involved in stealing and distributing sensitive internal documents to members of the press.
FBI agents worked with both Google and Microsoft — two major technology companies and email service providers — to dig into the apparent spearphishing attacks targeting those close to both presidential campaigns, according to two people familiar with the matter. research. A report published by Microsoft earlier this summer found that Iran is developing its tactics to influence the upcoming elections.
Trump and former members of his administration have increasingly become targets of Iranian actors tracking him the murder of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in 2020. Some former officials received increased protection over death threats, and in July federal prosecutors reported against a Pakistani national with ties to Iran for allegedly planning to assassinate American politicians, including possibly Trump.
Iran is not the only foreign adversary that U.S. officials say is trying to undermine the upcoming presidential election. Intelligence agencies have warned Russia and China has launched its own cyber campaigns to sow chaos, with Russia reportedly seeking to damage Vice President Kamala Harris’ bid for the White House.
Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said Thursday at an event hosted by the Atlantic Council: “We’re seeing more and more threat actors, more and more threat actors getting involved in election interference, exacerbated by advances in artificial intelligence.
The aim, according to Monaco, is to “sow discord, sow distrust in our electoral system and undermine confidence in our democratic process.”
and Nicole Sganga contributed to this report.
