“The defendants’ own words made clear that they were attempting to undermine former President Trump’s campaign in advance of the 2024 U.S. presidential election,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said at a press conference. Ta.
The influence activities described in the indictment suggest that Iran’s cyber skills and ambitions have expanded rapidly in recent years, learning from techniques mastered by Russia and China. This comes as Iran creates its first “Cyber Corps” as part of its response to the successful American and Israeli incursion into its nuclear manufacturing facility in Natanz, destroying hundreds of nuclear centrifuges. This suggests rapid progress over the past 15 years.
In the 2016 election, Iran was largely unable to launch cyberattacks, and its 2020 intervention was clumsy. But by June, prosecutors say they were able to provide “final preparation” materials from the Trump campaign to Biden campaign officials on the day of the first presidential debate.
The indictment, while expected, highlights the growing threat from hostile international actors using cyberattacks to disrupt U.S. elections and intimidate domestic dissidents abroad. . But the three powers, Iran, Russia and China, which are partners in many areas, are pursuing different strategies. Intelligence officials say Russia is intervening on Trump’s behalf, while Iran opposes him. Although China has not taken a clear position, it has sought to advance its interests more broadly.
From 2020 to May 2024, the three men named in the filing are all experienced hackers, and dozens of current and former employees of the White House, National Security Council, Department of Defense, and CIA; and the former U.S. ambassador to Israel, “apparently without success,”” according to the 37-page indictment.
