Iran-linked hackers threaten to release emails stolen from Trump associates
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President Trump and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles at the White House in February. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
An Iran-linked cyberattack group that hacked President Trump's 2024 campaign is threatening to release another trove of emails it has stolen from his associates, including White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and Roger Stone.
The big picture: Reuters first reported the threat on Monday that the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency on X called a "calculated smear campaign" — which came the same day as the Trump administration released a report warning that "Iranian Cyber Actors" may target U.S. firms and "operators of critical infrastructure."
- And it came three days after Trump announced he was halting plans to potentially ease sanctions on Iran after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei claimed U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran's nuclear facilities didn't cause major damage.
Driving the news: Hackers who gave themselves the pseudonym "Robert" told Reuters in online conversations on Sunday and Monday they had around 100 gigabytes of emails involving Wiles, Stone, Trump lawyer Lindsey Halligan and adult film actress Stormy Daniels, and others.
- They spoke of potentially selling the emails, but did not disclose details of the material.
- The Justice Department alleged in an indictment last September against three Iranians in the 2024 Trump cyberattack case that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps oversaw the "Robert" hacking drive.
What they're saying: CISA spokesperson Marci McCarthy said in a statement posted to X in response to Reuters' report that a "hostile foreign adversary" was "threatening to illegally exploit purportedly stolen and unverified material in an effort to distract, discredit and divide."
- McCarthy said the "so-called cyber 'attack' is nothing more than digital propaganda and the targets are no coincidence" and that it's designed to "damage President Trump and discredit honorable public servants" who serve the U.S. with distinction.
- "These criminals will be found and will be brought to justice," McCarthy added.
Between the lines: During the 2024 presidential campaign, Iran proved to be a bigger threat than Russia — which Axios' Sam Sabin notes is notorious for its 2016 hacks of major U.S. political parties and successful disinformation operations.
- Microsoft identified several Iranian groups that conducted aggressive disinformation and hacking campaigns that were designed to influence the outcome of the 2024 U.S. presidential elections.
- The hackers told Reuters they hadn't planned any more cyberattacks, until the 12-day war between Israel and Iran that ended in a ceasefire that Trump brokered after the U.S. military intervention.
Editor's note: This article has been updated with further context.
