The United States has said that Tehran has targeted US voters with influence operations meant to deepen the social gap. Wessington has also alleged that Iranian actors have launched cyberattacks on the two main election running candidates’ campaigns.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and other security agencies’ conclusion is the very first time the US administration has placed responsibility on Iran, raising concerns about the possibility of foreign meddling in the nation’s elections once again.
The FBI clarified that the intelligence agencies links Tehran to the recently revealed efforts to undermine Donald Trump‘s team. It was few weeks ago when the Trump team claimed that Iranian actors had hacked one of its official websites. Tehran was only able to obtain freely accessible data, according to the Republican candidate.
In a joined statement by ODNI, FBI, and CISA, the group said “the IC has previously reported that Iran perceives this year’s elections to be particularly consequential in terms of the impact they could have on its national security interests, increasing Tehran’s inclination to try to shape the outcome.”
The formal announcement said that Tehran had also attacked the democratic candidate’s campaign. The accusations were described as “unsubstantiated and devoid of any standing” in a statement released by Iran’s UN delegation. It urged the United States to provide proof of the assertion. “As we have previously announced, the Islamic Republic of Iran harbours neither the intention nor the motive to interfere with the US presidential election.”
According to the US declaration, the intelligence community was certain that Iranian agents actively sought out those who had close ties to the two parties’ campaigning for the upcoming election. The announcement said, without providing any details, that these actions included breaches and leaks meant to sway the outcome of the November 5 election.
Recently, Google reported that the presidential campaigns of both parties were being targeted by hackers with Iranian support. APT42, a hacking team associated with IRGC, targeted prominent people and institutions in both Israel and the US, stated Google in a security analysis. Political campaigns and administrative leaders were among those targeted.
Emails from the Democratic National Committee were hacked in 2016, revealing internal party correspondence, including remarks made disparaging nominee Hillary Clinton. Trump was criticized for supporting the hack when he proceeded to take over power in the United States.
