Google announced on Wednesday that it had identified attempts by Iranian hackers to target both the Trump and Biden-Harris campaigns in May and June as part of an ongoing email phishing operation.
The revelation supports the Trump campaign’s recent claim that it was hacked by an Iranian effort aimed at election interference.
Google’s Threat Analysis Group, which monitors government-backed cyberattacks, reported that it had disrupted a “small but steady” phishing campaign orchestrated by a hacking unit linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Read: European Leaders Warn Iran Against Escalating Israel Conflict
The report detailed that the phishing operation targeted the personal email accounts of approximately a dozen individuals connected to both President Biden and former President Trump, including current and former U.S. government officials and individuals affiliated with their respective campaigns. Google successfully blocked numerous attempts to access these accounts.
In July, the hackers managed to breach the Gmail account of a high-profile political consultant, whose identity remains undisclosed. Google secured the account and referred the incident to law enforcement.
Despite ongoing attempts by the Revolutionary Guard hackers, Google has continued to observe and thwart efforts to infiltrate accounts associated with Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Trump. The phishing campaign has leveraged Google products such as Sites, Drive, and Gmail.
Read: Iran Ramps Up Cyber Operations Targeting U.S. Presidential Election, Microsoft Warns
Last week, Microsoft reported that the same Iranian hackers had breached the email account of a former senior adviser to a presidential campaign, though details about the victim remain undisclosed. The FBI is currently investigating these hacking efforts but has not released further information.
While the Trump campaign has confirmed being hacked, the Biden-Harris campaign has not reported any security breaches. Iranian officials have denied involvement in hacking the Trump campaign. The situation is part of a broader pattern of Iranian attempts to undermine U.S. elections, with intelligence officials warning of continued efforts to discredit Trump.
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