Google discloses China, Iran hackers target U.S presidential campaigns

According to Washington Post  Google disclosed Thursday that Chinese and Iranian government hackers have targeted the Gmail accounts of officials engaging with the presidential campaigns of Joe Biden and President Trump, respectively.

However, the report claims that there were no evidence that the accounts were jeopardized, a Google threat analyst said in a tweet Thursday, and law enforcement was notified.

The disclosure is a fresh reminder that nation states are actively seeking to gain access to presidential campaigns — a practice that has taken place in every presidential election dating back more than a decade. They may do so in search of insights into the thinking of the next American leader, or as the Russians did in 2016, to obtain material that might be disclosed publicly or used to interfere in the election, says the report.

“We are aware of reports from Google that a foreign actor has made unsuccessful attempts to access the personal email accounts of campaign staff,” the Biden campaign said in a statement. “We have known from the beginning of our campaign that we would be subject to such attacks and we are prepared for them.”

“The Trump campaign has been briefed that foreign actors unsuccessfully attempted to breach the technology of our staff,” a campaign official said. “We are vigilant about cybersecurity and do not discuss any of our precautions.”

The hackers employed “phishing,” in which emails including hidden malware and that seem to be appearing from a trusted source are sent to naive targets. Opening a link in the email can activate the malware, allowing the hacker to obtain access to the target’s documents.

Google’s disclosure comes as the U.S. government has commenced to update the presidential campaigns and national parties on election threats from foreign adversaries. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence is leading the effort, and National Counterintelligence and Security Center Director William Evanina is leading the reporting, the report said.