The United States is anticipated to indict Iranian cybercriminals accused of infiltrating the Trump campaign's digital operations.
The potential indictments against the Iranian cybercriminals might be made public within the next week, according to two reliable sources.
Allegedly, these Iranian hackers acquired confidential documents from the Trump campaign and disseminated them to news outlets as a tactic to instigate division during the political race. The hackers reportedly infiltrated the email account of Trump confidant Roger Stone in June, focusing on campaign staff, as per US intelligence. CNN reported this information first.
The United States authorities suspect that these hackers are affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
CNN has reached out to the Department of Justice for a response to the impending legal action against the hackers.
The anticipated US prosecution, disclosed earlier by The Washington Post, represents an extensive US government endeavor to expose hidden foreign interference plans prior to their impact on the 2024 election cycle voters. The authorities announced charges against personnel from the Russian state media outlet RT's alleged secret funding of a firm boosting right-wing American influencers last week.
In a speech held at Columbia Law School on Thursday, the Justice Department's primary national security official, Matthew Olsen, warned about an "assault" by authoritarian regimes attempting to manipulate the upcoming election.
"Right now, our opponents are actively taking measures to covertly sway our elections and undermine our democracy," Olsen declared. "Authoritarian regimes—like Russian, Iran, and China—are committed to altering the electorate's viewpoints in advance of upcoming elections, believing it will benefit their interests and weaken the United States."
US officials were primarily unprepared to address Russian manipulation tactics in the 2016 election and were slow to acknowledge the activity openly. Some of these same US officials are making an effort to avoid repeating this mistake in 2022.
The anticipated US prosecution is a significant move in the realm of politics, aimed at exposing foreign interference plans before they impact elections.In light of these potential indictments, it's crucial for the political community to be vigilant against foreign cyber threats.
