Google has revealed that an alleged Iranian hacking operation targeting U.S. presidential campaigns is ongoing and more extensive than initially thought. The hackers have reportedly been attempting to infiltrate the email accounts of individuals associated with Vice President Kamala Harris, President Joe Biden, and former President Donald Trump.

In May and June of this year, a hacking group linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targeted the personal email accounts of approximately a dozen individuals connected to both Biden and Trump's campaigns. These individuals included government officials. Google researchers disclosed this information in a recent blog post.

The Iranian hackers' attempts to gain access to these email accounts have not ceased. Google reported unsuccessful attempts by the same group to log into the accounts of individuals linked to Biden, Harris, Trump, and both presidential campaigns.

This revelation comes amidst evidence suggesting a broader effort by Iran to collect intelligence related to the 2024 presidential campaign. CNN and other media outlets reported this week that suspected Iranian hackers had successfully breached the personal email account of longtime Republican operative Roger Stone. The aim was reportedly to infiltrate the Trump campaign.

Google further disclosed that the personal Gmail account of a high-profile political consultant had been successfully hacked by the Iranian group. While the company declined to comment on whether this consultant was Stone or someone else, it confirmed passing on information about the hacking activity to law enforcement in early July. Google continues to cooperate in the investigation.

The Harris campaign acknowledged on Tuesday that it had been targeted by a "foreign actor influence operation." However, they stated they were not aware of any security breaches resulting from these efforts.

U.S. intelligence and national security officials have been preparing for potential foreign interference or monitoring in the 2024 election. The alleged Iranian hacking campaign is one of the first significant indications of such attempts.

Sens. Mark Warner and Marco Rubio, the top Democrat and Republican on the intelligence committee respectively, issued a joint statement expressing concern. They stated, "With less than 100 days to go before the election, it is clear that our foreign adversaries are intently interested in disrupting our democratic process."

The U.S. intelligence community has identified Russia as the primary threat to U.S. elections. According to a recent assessment, Russia remains committed to influencing the U.S. election process. The assessment also revealed that Moscow's preferences for the presidential race have not changed since 2020. At that time, Russia conducted a range of influence operations in support of Trump and aimed at denigrating Biden.

The alleged Iranian hacking campaign targeted the Trump campaign in June. This incident prompted a collaborative effort between the campaign, the FBI, and Microsoft to contain the situation and assess any broader cyber threats from Iran. Microsoft released a report detailing the hacking activity conducted by the IRGC-backed group, which targeted an unnamed presidential campaign.

In addition to the hacking attempt, internal Trump campaign documents have been leaked to some media outlets. Politico first reported on this matter on Saturday. It remains unclear whether the hack and the leak are connected.

The Trump campaign has publicly blamed Iran for the leaked documents. However, the U.S. government has yet to make a formal determination regarding responsibility for the hack or the leak, or whether they are connected.

The Iranian government has categorically denied any involvement in these allegations. A spokesperson for Iran's Permanent Mission to the United Nations stated, "The Iranian government neither possesses nor harbors any intent or motive to interfere in the United States presidential election."

The shadowy targeting of political campaigns has evoked memories in lawmakers and U.S. officials of the 2016 election. At that time, Russian spies allegedly stole documents from the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton's campaign, subsequently leaking them in an attempt to undermine her campaign.

Google has cautioned both campaigns about heightened malicious activity originating from foreign state actors. The company has emphasized the importance of enhanced security measures for personal email accounts.

The use of bots, trolls, and hacking by Russian intelligence services during the 2016 U.S. election marked a new approach by foreign operatives seeking to influence American voters. Since then, the field of foreign meddlers has expanded.

Iran's aggressive tactics in targeting U.S. voters during the 2020 election caught some U.S. officials off guard. Iranian operatives impersonated the far-right Proud Boys group to intimidate voters and even created a website threatening election officials.

William Evanina, the former director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, warned that Iran has both the capability and intent to conduct influence operations targeting the U.S. election. He further noted Tehran's willingness to take risks that other governments may not.

Evanina stated, "I believe they will be aggressive for the next 90 days for sure," referring to the remaining time before Election Day.