The FBI announced Monday that authorities have launched an investigation into allegations that the Trump campaign was targeted in a hacking attack.
The campaign claims the hack was orchestrated by Iranian actors. This development follows reports by major news outlets including: Politico, The Washington Post and The New York TimesNBC News reports it received files allegedly stolen from the Trump campaign Reported.
The Trump campaign's weekend claim of being hacked has raised new concerns about election security, and the FBI has confirmed it is currently investigating.Nichols Ganga We'll give you an update on what we know and what we still don't know about the alleged hack. pic.twitter.com/94Xochbmdy
—CBS News (@CBSNews) August 12, 2024
The investigation comes after Microsoft identified a hacking attempt in which a compromised account of a former senior adviser to the presidential campaign sent phishing emails to another senior adviser. Microsoft did not disclose how the phishing attempt was successful or details of the campaign that was targeted, the outlet reported. (RELATED: Trump campaign claims it was hacked by 'foreign sources hostile to the United States')
The Trump campaign has been reluctant to fully cooperate with the federal investigation, likely due to tensions between former President Donald Trump and federal law enforcement, and Chris Krebs, former director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, pointed to potential national security implications of this reluctance.
“There may not be as much willingness to cooperate,” Krebs said, “and unfortunately, from a national security perspective, that could hinder our understanding of the incident and what's going on.”
First, intelligence agencies should act expeditiously to declassify and disclose any appropriate information they possess regarding the potential foreign nature of this interference.
Transparency remains the best deterrent to foreign influence operations.
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) August 10, 2024
As international tensions continue to impact U.S. politics, former government officials and cybersecurity experts have stressed the need for transparency and immediate action by intelligence agencies to effectively counter foreign interference and the spread of disinformation. This stance is echoed by Representative Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who has called on intelligence agencies to quickly declassify and share relevant information to protect against foreign influence.
“The intelligence community should act swiftly to declassify and release appropriate information about the potential foreign nature of this interference,” Schiff said. Written “Transparency remains the best deterrent against foreign influence operations,” he said on Twitter.
