US Charges Three Iranian Hackers for Targeting Trump Campaign and Election
The U.S. Justice Department charges three Iranian nationals with hacking the Trump presidential campaign to influence the 2024 election and retaliate for the 2020 killing of General Qasem Soleimani.
The U.S. Department of Justice announces criminal charges against three hackers working for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The indictment accuses Masoud Jalili, Seyyed Ali Aghamiri, and Yasar Balaghi of running a four-year hacking campaign that targets former White House officials, members of Congress, and Donald Trump’s current presidential campaign.
U.S. officials state that this cyber operation serves as retaliation for the 2020 killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani. Attorney General Merrick Garland explains that the hackers use phishing lures to compromise accounts and steal sensitive materials, which they then attempt to leak to the media in a coordinated effort to influence the upcoming 2024 presidential election.
Garland emphasizes that Iran is actively trying to stoke discord and erode confidence in the U.S. electoral process. He firmly declares that authoritarian regimes do not get a say in American democratic processes, reassuring the public that the American people alone will decide the outcome of the election.