Hackers from China and Iran trying to spy on Trump and Biden campaigns, Google says
State-sponsored hackers are targeting the election campaigns for President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, according to Google.
Shane Huntley, the head of the Threat Analysis Group at Google, accused Chinese and Iranian hackers of trying to spy on the campaigns.
He said his team found Chinese-backed hackers targeting the Biden campaign and an Iranian group trying to gain access to the Trump campaign.
Huntley shared the findings in a tweet Thursday. There were no signs the hackers managed to break into the campaigns, he said.
Google alerted the campaigns and shared their findings with federal law enforcement, Huntley said.
Phishing attacks typically use an email to try and trick someone into clicking on a link that could install malicious software.
“Phishing emails are crafted to appear as if they have been sent from a legitimate organization or known individual. These emails often attempt to entice users to click on a link that will take the user to a fraudulent website that appears legitimate,” according to the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
“The user then may be asked to provide personal information, such as account usernames and passwords, that can further expose them to future compromises. Additionally, these fraudulent websites may contain malicious code,“ the agency says.
During the 2016 election, Russian hackers are accused of using phishing attacks to gain access to the Hillary Clinton campaign, along with the Democratic National Committee and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, according to the Justice Department.
The hackers stole thousands of emails that were then leaked in the lead-up to the election, the Justice Department said when it issued 12 indictments against accused Russian hackers in 2018. They’re also accused of using similar techniques to break into state boards of elections to steal voter information.
This story was originally published June 4, 2020 at 3:06 PM with the headline "Hackers from China and Iran trying to spy on Trump and Biden campaigns, Google says."
