An Iranian hacking group is actively scouting U.S. election-related websites and American media outlets as election day nears, according to a new 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.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In recent past comments, they denied any involvement in 2024 election-related hacking activity.

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. REUTERS

WASHINGTON – Members of former U.S. President Donald Trump’s family and officials from the Biden administration were among those targeted by China-linked hackers who were able to break into telecommunications company systems, the New York Times reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The Times said State Department officials, Trump family members including Eric Trump and Jared Kushner, and prominent Democrats including Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer were among those targeted by the spies.

Concerns about the hacking group have grown since media reports disclosed its activities last month.

On Oct. 6, the Wall Street Journal reported that the group, nicknamed “Salt Typhoon”, had accessed the networks of broadband providers and obtained information from systems the federal government uses for court-authorized wiretapping.

The State Department, as well as aides for Trump family members, did not immediately respond to Reuters’ questions. The White House, the National Security Agency, and the cybersecurity watchdog agency CISA did not immediately return messages. A Schumer aide did not immediately reply to an email. The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to an email, although Beijing routinely denies being behind cyberespionage campaigns. REUTERS

WASHINGTON – Chinese hackers compromised eight American telecommunications companies as part of a wide-ranging espionage effort to gather intelligence about prominent US citizens, Biden administration officials said on Dec 4. 

Ms Anne Neuberger, deputy assistant to the president and deputy national security advisor for cyber and emerging technologies, said that the Chinese group known as Salt Typhoon continues to linger inside some networks as security personnel work to eject the hackers. President Joe Biden has received multiple briefings on the matter as the US government seeks to investigate the matter, she said. 

The update comes after officials from the US Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said on Dec 3 that it would be impossible for them to predict how long it would take to clear the intruders from compromised networks. 

The White House also has established a unified coordination group that meets on a daily basis to help address the threat, they said. 

Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines joined officials from the White House, FBI and other agencies to brief US senators in a classified closed-door meeting on Dec 4. BLOOMBERG

WASHINGTON – Chinese hackers who tapped into Verizon’s system targeted phones used by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance, the New York Times reported on Oct 25, citing people familiar with the matter.

The newspaper said investigators were working to determine what communications, if any, were taken.

The Trump campaign was made aware this week that Trump and Mr Vance were among a number of people inside and outside of government whose phone numbers were targeted through the infiltration of Verizon phone systems, it added.

The campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Trump campaign was hacked earlier this year. The US Justice Department charged three members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps with the hack and trying to disrupt the Nov 5 election. REUTERS

WASHINGTON – Chinese state-affiliated hackers intercepted audio from the phone calls of US political figures including an unnamed campaign adviser of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, the Washington Post reported on Oct 27.

The FBI and the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said on Oct 25 they were investigating unauthorised access to commercial telecommunications infrastructure by people associated with China.

Trump’s campaign and the FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Post also reported the hackers were able to access unencrypted communications like text messages, of the individual.

Reuters reported on Oct 25 that Chinese hackers also targeted phones used by people affiliated with the campaign of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

Trump and his running mate, J.D. Vance, were targeted, various media outlets reported last week.

The Trump campaign was made aware last week that Trump and Mr Vance were among a number of people inside and outside of government whose phone numbers were targeted through the infiltration of Verizon phone systems, the New York Times reported on Oct 25.

The Trump campaign was hacked earlier in 2024. The US Justice Department charged three members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps with the hack, accusing them of trying to disrupt the Nov 5 election.

Verizon said on Oct 25 it was aware of a sophisticated attempt to target US telecoms and gather intelligence and is working with law enforcement.

Congress is also investigating and earlier this month U.S. lawmakers asked AT&T, Verizon and Lumen Technologies to answer questions about reports Chinese hackers accessed the networks of U.S. broadband providers.

The Chinese embassy in Washington said last week it was unaware of the specific situation but said China opposes and combats cyber attacks and cyber thefts in all forms. REUTERS

SEOUL – South Korea has fined Facebook-parent Meta more than 21.6 billion won (S$20.6 million) for illegally collecting sensitive user information from nearly a million people without consent and sharing it with advertisers, the country’s data watchdog said Nov 5.

The firm, which also owns Instagram, ran afoul of laws prohibiting the use of information on political opinions, religious beliefs and people’s sex life unless the individual provides explicit consent, Seoul’s Personal Information Protection Commission added.

It added that the tech giant collected sensitive information from around 980,000 domestic users in South Korea through their Facebook profiles.

This included details about their religious beliefs and whether they are in a same-sex relationship.

The watchdog said it had confirmed that such information was provided to advertisers by Meta, with around 4,000 advertisers using it.

Meta “analysed user behaviour data, including pages liked and ads clicked on Facebook”, to create and implement targeted advertising related to “sensitive themes” such as transgender issues, homosexuality and North Korean defectors, officials said.

The commission said on Nov 5 it had decided to fine Meta 21.6 billion won.

It added that it “also ordered the company to establish legal grounds for processing sensitive information, implement safety measures, and respond diligently to users’ requests for access to their personal data”.

The decision is “significant in that they ensure that foreign operators providing global services must comply with the obligations set forth in (South Korea’s) Protection Act regarding the processing of sensitive information”. AFP