Iranian-backed hackers have targeted a senior official of an unidentified U.S. presidential campaign. The attack was carried out in June, according to a report released by Microsoft on Friday.
This attack highlights a growing trend of aggressive disinformation and hacking campaigns by Iranian groups aimed at influencing the 2024 U.S. presidential elections. Microsoft has noted that Iran appears to be following in the footsteps of Russia, which gained notoriety for its 2016 hacks of major U.S. political parties and disinformation operations.
The hacking group is linked with IRGC
The hacking group, known as Mint Sandstorm, which is linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ intelligence unit, sent a spear-phishing email to a high-ranking official in a U.S. presidential campaign. The email, which came from a compromised account of a former senior campaign adviser, contained a link designed to redirect users through an “actor-controlled domain” before reaching the intended site.
Additionally, Mint Sandstorm attempted to access the account of a former presidential candidate just days before the phishing attack on the active campaign. This group is also referred to by other security firms as Charming Kitten or APT35.
While Microsoft has identified the attack and its methods, the company has not yet gathered enough evidence to confirm whether the activity is specifically aimed at the 2024 election. The group has a history of targeting senior political officials, suggesting that their motives may not be solely election-related.
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