Iranian hacker group focuses on US election websites, media, ahead of vote, Microsoft says
A man holds a laptop computer as cyber code is projected on him in this illustration picture taken on May 13, 2017. Photo: REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/Illustration/File
REUTERS
An Iranian hacking group is actively scouting U.S. election-related websites and American media outlets as election day nears, according to a Microsoft blog published on Wednesday. Researchers say the activity suggests "preparations for more direct influence operations."
An Iranian hacking group is actively scouting U.S. election-related websites and American media outlets as election day nears, according to a Microsoft blog published on Wednesday. Researchers say the activity suggests "preparations for more direct influence operations."
The hackers – dubbed Cotton Sandstorm by Microsoft and linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – performed reconnaissance and limited probing of multiple "election-related websites" in several unnamed swing states, the report notes. In May, they also scanned an unidentified U.S. news outlet to understand its vulnerabilities.
"Cotton Sandstorm will increase its activity as the election nears given the group's operational tempo and history of election interference," researchers wrote. The development is particularly concerning because of the group's past efforts.
A spokesperson for Iran's mission to the United Nations said that "such allegations are fundamentally unfounded, and wholly inadmissible."
"Iran neither has any motive nor intent to interfere in the U.S. election," they added.
In 2020, Cotton Sandstorm launched a different cyber-enabled influence operation shortly before the last presidential election. Posing as the right-wing "Proud Boys," the hackers sent thousands of emails to Florida residents, threatening them to "vote for Trump or else!".
The group also released a video on social media, purporting to come from hacktivists, where they showed them probing an election system. While that operation never affected individual voting systems, the goal was to cause chaos, confusion and doubt, senior U.S. officials said at the time.
Following the 2020 election, Cotton Sandstorm also ran a separate operation that encouraged violence against U.S. election officials who had denied claims of widespread voter fraud, Microsoft said.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which is coordinating the federal effort to defend the election from foreign influence, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Disclaimer: Virgin Islands News Online (VINO) welcomes your thoughts, feedback, views, bloggs and opinions. However, by posting a blogg you are agreeing to post comments or bloggs that are relevant to the topic, and that are not defamatory, liable, obscene, racist, abusive, sexist, anti-Semitic, threatening, hateful or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be excluded permanently from making contributions. Please view our declaimer above this article. We thank you in advance for complying with VINO's policy.
Follow Us On
Disclaimer: All comments posted on Virgin Islands News Online (VINO) are the sole views and opinions of the commentators and or bloggers and do not in anyway represent the views and opinions of the Board of Directors, Management and Staff of Virgin Islands News Online and its parent company.
Leave a Reply