Iranian hackers sought to send Trump campaign info to people at Biden campaign, FBI says

WASHINGTON — Iranian hackers sought to interest President Joe Biden's campaign in information stolen from rival Donald Trump's campaign, sending unsolicited emails to people associated with the then-Democratic candidate in an effort to interfere in the 2024 election, the FBI and other federal agencies said Wednesday. There's no indication that any of the recipients responded, officials said, and several media organizations approached over the summer with leaked stolen information also said they did not respond. Kamala Harris' presidential campaign called the emails from Iran "unwelcome and unacceptable malicious activity" that were received by only a few people who regarded them as spam or phishing attempts.

The emails were received before the hack of the Trump campaign was publicly acknowledged, and there's no evidence the recipients of the emails knew their origin. Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump makes a campaign stop Wednesday at Pubkey Bar and Media House in New York. The announcement is the latest U.



S. government effort to call out what officials say is Iran's brazen, ongoing work to interfere in the election, including a hack-and-leak campaign the FBI and other federal agencies linked last month to Tehran. U.

S. officials in recent months have used criminal charges, sanctions and public advisories to detail actions taken by foreign adversaries to influence the election, including an indictment targeting a covert Russian effort to spread pro-Russia content to U.S.

audiences. It's a stark turnabout from the government's response in 2016 , when Obama administration officials were criticized for not being forthcoming about the Russian interference they were seeing on Trump's behalf as he ran against Democrat Hillary Clinton. In this case, the hackers sent emails in late June and early July to people who were associated with Biden's campaign before he dropped out.

The emails "contained an excerpt taken from stolen, non-public material from former President Trump's campaign as text in the emails," according to a statement released by the FBI, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. The agencies have said the Trump campaign hack and an attempted breach of the Biden-Harris campaign are part of an effort to undermine voters' faith in the election and to stoke discord. The FBI informed Trump aides within the last 48 hours that information hacked by Iran had been sent to the Biden campaign, according to a senior campaign official granted anonymity to speak because of the sensitive nature of the investigation.

The Trump campaign disclosed Aug. 10 that it had been hacked and said Iranian actors had stolen and distributed sensitive internal documents. At least three news outlets — Politico, The New York Times and The Washington Post — were leaked confidential material from inside the Trump campaign.

So far, each has refused to reveal any details about what it received. U.S.

officials are accusing Iran of hacking into the Trump campaign. Now CNN has taken a closer look at an intricate network using phishing and other attacks to target people linked to both Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Politico reported that it began receiving emails on July 22 from an anonymous account.

The source — an AOL email account identified only as "Robert" — passed along what appeared to be a research dossier that the campaign had apparently done on the Republican vice presidential nominee, Ohio Sen. JD Vance. The document was dated Feb.

23, almost five months before Trump selected Vance as his running mate. In a statement, Harris campaign spokesperson Morgan Finkelstein said the campaign has cooperated with law enforcement since learning that people associated with Biden's team were among the recipients of the emails. "We're not aware of any material being sent directly to the campaign; a few individuals were targeted on their personal emails with what looked like a spam or phishing attempt," Finkelstein said.

"We condemn in the strongest terms any effort by foreign actors to interfere in U.S. elections including this unwelcome and unacceptable malicious activity.

Trump campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt called the effort to dangle stolen information to the Biden campaign "further proof the Iranians are actively interfering in the election" to help Harris. Intelligence officials have said Iran opposes Trump's reelection, seeing him as more likely to increase tension between Washington and Tehran. Trump's administration ended a nuclear deal with Iran , reimposed sanctions and ordered the killing of Iranian Gen.

Qassem Soleimani , an act that prompted Iran's leaders to vow revenge . Iran's intrusion on the Trump campaign was cited as just one of the cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns identified by tech companies and national security officials at a hearing Wednesday of the Senate Intelligence Committee. Executives from Meta, Google and Microsoft briefed lawmakers on their plans for safeguarding the election, and the attacks they'd seen so far.

"The most perilous time I think will come 48 hours before the election," Microsoft President Brad Smith told lawmakers during the hearing, which focused on American tech companies' efforts to safeguard the election from foreign disinformation and cyberattacks. Investors are currently grappling with U.S.

economic uncertainty, shifts in Federal Reserve policy, and the upcoming presidential election—all contributing to a heightened demand for portfolio hedging and diversification. Benzinga examines how current circumstances differ from typical patterns and what this means for the market. The Cboe Volatility Index (VIX) , a key gauge for measuring protection against stock market fluctuations, has climbed to around 20, a significant rise from its 2024 average of 14.

8. This surge in volatility is a typical pattern during election years, as investors weigh the market implications of policy proposals from candidates, according to Reuters. However, this year, political concerns are colliding with other volatility drivers, including fears of a weakening U.

S. economy and uncertainty over whether the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates. The S&P 500 recently experienced its worst weekly percentage loss since March 2023, largely driven by a second consecutive disappointing jobs report.

Despite the S&P 500 being up nearly 15% this year, the market remains precarious. Matt Thompson, co-portfolio manager at Little Harbor Advisors, noted, "The market is essentially saying, we know risk is elevated, but ..

. we don't know what the problem is going to be." With volatility already elevated, the typical "election bump" in October VIX futures (which include the Nov.

5 vote) is smaller than in previous election cycles. The gap between the contracts with the highest and lowest volatilities is barely over one volatility point. Recently, investors have zeroed in on the VIX, especially after its largest-ever one-day spike on Aug.

5, which occurred during a sharp market sell-off. Although volatility stabilized shortly after, the index has once again climbed as the market has grown more turbulent. Societe Generale analysts recently advised investors to maintain hedge positions for the next three to six months, citing potential volatility from economic surprises, geopolitical risks, and the looming U.

S. election. The upcoming presidential election is amplifying uncertainty among investors.

A CNBC survey revealed that 67% of investors believe that former President Donald Trump would be more favorable for the stock market. Historically, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq performed strongly during his tenure. Trump has also claimed that if Kamala Harris wins the election, the market could face a 1929-like crash.

In addition to political risks, investors in Silicon Valley are anxious about a proposed tax on unrealized capital gains , part of Harris' potential economic plan or an extension of Joe Biden's policies. The tax plan has sparked concerns within the tech sector. Given the rising uncertainty and the volatile market, many investors are seeking alternative strategies to diversify their portfolios beyond traditional hedges like options or futures .

One area gaining attention is prop trading firms that use their own capital to trade stocks, bonds, or other financial instruments for profit. Prop trading firms often have access to advanced technology, high-frequency trading tools, and data-driven strategies that allow them to capture short-term gains in volatile markets. Additionally, retail investors are increasingly using stock analysis apps to monitor market trends and identify potential opportunities within prop trading and other alternative investments.

These apps provide real-time data, technical indicators, and stock ratings, helping investors make more informed decisions in an unpredictable market environment. Diversifying into prop trading or other alternative investments, such as private equity or real estate , can provide an additional layer of protection against stock market swings. Unlike traditional investments, prop trading isn't directly tied to the broad market's performance, which can be advantageous during periods of heightened volatility and economic uncertainty.

Expanding into alternatives can help smooth out portfolio returns and provide exposure to different risk factors, complementing the protection offered by traditional hedging tools like the VIX. In an environment where political, economic, and market risks are converging, diversifying across different asset classes and strategies, with the help of tools like stock analysis apps, could prove critical for long-term portfolio resilience. This story was produced by Benzinga and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media.

Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter..