China and Iran tried to hack both Biden and Trump.
Google said government hackers targeted Biden and Trump campaign staff. The hackers came from China and Iran, but their attempts were unsuccessful in both cases.
“We recently identified a Chinese APT group targeting Biden campaign staff and an Iranian APT targeting Trump campaign staff with phishing attacks,” Shane Huntley, Google’s threat analysis director, said Thursday.
A Google spokesperson confirmed the phishing attacks by Chinese and Iranian groups and reiterated that there was no evidence they were successful. The matter has now been referred to US law enforcement .
“If you work on a campaign, your personal accounts may be a target,” Huntley tweeted . “Use the best protection possible. Two-factor authentication or Advanced Protection can really make a difference.”
In these attacks, malicious actors often impersonate a legitimate and well-known company in order to trick their victims into clicking on dangerous links or downloading malicious software. They are often carried out via email, but can also be done via text messages.
A Biden campaign spokesperson said they were prepared for such hacking, knowing they were likely to occur. “Our campaign takes cybersecurity seriously, we will remain vigilant against these threats, and ensure that campaign assets are secure.”
A Trump campaign spokesperson also said they are “vigilant about cybersecurity.”.
Huntley wrote on Twitter that the groups involved in the attacks on the Biden and Trump campaigns are China's APT31, also known as Zirconium, and Iran's APT35, also known as Newscaster Team. Both have previously been accused of targeting U.S. government agencies or organizations.
