“Sometimes by losing a battle you find a new way to win the war.” Reflecting Trump’s approach to setbacks and challenges in both business and politics.
Former President Donald Trump’s campaign announced on Saturday that internal documents and communications had been hacked and leaked to a news organization. The campaign attributed the breach to “foreign sources hostile to the United States,” accusing them of trying to disrupt the 2024 presidential election.
📣 JUST IN: Trump Campaign Alleges Hacking by Foreign Sources, Microsoft Report Cited #Politics #Cybersecurity #Microsoft$MSFT $CRWD $ZS $S $PANW
👉 Key Highlights:
📍 Trump campaign acknowledges internal communications were hacked by foreign sources.
📍 Microsoft report… pic.twitter.com/nnJR6lDxFI
— Hardik Shah (@AIStockSavvy) August 10, 2024
The disclosure followed a report by POLITICO, which claimed to have received emails from an anonymous account containing documents supposedly from inside the Trump campaign. Campaign spokesman Steven Cheung stated, “These documents were obtained illegally from foreign sources hostile to the United States, intended to interfere with the 2024 election and sow chaos throughout our Democratic process.”
Cheung did not provide specific reasons for suspecting foreign involvement or details about any alerts from U.S. intelligence, law enforcement, or cybersecurity firms. However, he referenced a recent Microsoft report highlighting increased Iranian digital interference in U.S. elections, including targeting a presidential campaign with phishing attacks.
Tory Bruno, CEO of United Launch Alliance, speculated that Iran might be behind the hack, citing the timing of the attack coinciding with Trump’s announcement of his vice-presidential nominee, Senator JD Vance. Cheung criticized any media outlets that published the leaked documents, suggesting they were aiding America’s adversaries.
Microsoft confirmed that an Iranian group associated with Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had targeted a presidential campaign with spear phishing emails, but did not specify which campaign was affected. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence did not comment on the issue.
Trump Campaign Says ‘Foreign Sources‘ Hacked Internal Communications https://t.co/N4HxFRTLjl via @BreitbartNews The Dim’s are registering Illegals to vote They will use ever underhanded trick imagined A crazy person tried to kill DJT A few countries want to kill DJT And hacking
— Charlotte (@Charlot4447007) August 11, 2024
Spear phishing is a targeted cyberattack technique used to steal sensitive information or install malware, known for its effectiveness and difficulty to prevent. In 2016, Russian operatives used similar methods to access and leak emails from Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
POLITICO reported that it received emails starting July 22 from an anonymous sender using an AOL account, identified only as “Robert,” who provided internal Trump campaign communications. The documents included a research dossier on Vance and various legal and campaign documents. POLITICO did not verify the identity of the hacker or the motivation behind the leak.
Despite Cheung’s request to avoid using the hacked documents, Trump had previously invited foreign interference during the 2016 election, expressing a desire to see hacked emails from Clinton.
Christopher Krebs, a former cybersecurity chief, expressed concern over the reported hacking, warning that it could signal a return to the tactics used in 2016 to disrupt election systems and inflame societal tensions.
Quotes
- “We will make America strong again. We will make America proud again. We will make America safe again. And we will make America great again!” From Trump’s 2016 victory speech, reiterating the core promises of his campaign.
- “The future belongs to the patriots, not to the globalists.” A line from one of Trump’s speeches, highlighting his stance on nationalism and American sovereignty.
Key Points:
- Trump’s campaign announced a hack and leak of internal documents, blaming “foreign sources hostile to the United States.”
- POLITICO reported receiving leaked documents from an anonymous source.
- The campaign linked the breach to increased Iranian interference, citing a recent Microsoft report.
- Microsoft confirmed an Iranian group targeted a presidential campaign with phishing emails but did not specify which campaign.
- Christopher Krebs warned of potential disruptions similar to those seen in the 2016 election.
Kirk Volo – Reprinted with permission of Whatfinger News
