In a joint statement on Wednesday, the FBI and US intelligence agencies confirmed that Iranian hackers had made unsuccessful attempts to contact what was then President Joe Biden's reelection campaign. The cyber actors, believed to be backed by Iran, sent unsolicited emails to individuals associated with President Biden's campaign in late June and early July. The emails contained excerpts taken from stolen and non-public material from former President Trump's campaign.

The FBI statement explicitly mentioned that there is currently no evidence indicating that any Biden campaign staff members responded to the phishing emails. Despite this, it is still concerning that Iranian malicious actors were targeting the campaign with stolen material, highlighting the ongoing threats faced by political campaigns.

According to a source familiar with the matter who chose to remain anonymous, the Iranian hackers, using a pseudonym, emailed at least three advisors on the Democratic presidential campaign. The hackers also contacted several news outlets, including The Washington Post and Politico, claiming to have hacked and stolen documents that were then disseminated.

Among the leaked material were research files compiled by the Trump campaign on J.D. Vance, the Republican vice presidential nominee, as well as internal polls. The material was sent from an AOL account by an individual identifying themselves as "Robert," who promised to provide additional information.

In response to the hacking attempts, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign, Karoline Leavitt, emphasized that this further proves Iran's interference in the election to benefit Vice President Kamala Harris and President Biden. Leavitt called on the Harris campaign to disclose any material they may have received from the alleged hacker and whether it was utilized.

The Harris campaign, however, released its own statement, denying any knowledge of hacked material being sent to individuals working on the campaign. The campaign spokeswoman, Morgan Finkelstein, condemned any foreign influence operation and expressed cooperation with law enforcement authorities to address the issue.

The statement by the FBI and intelligence agencies revealed that the Iranian operation was more extensive, with other attempts made to undermine the Trump campaign. The hacking activity has persisted beyond June, when the initial breach of the Trump campaign occurred.

Separately, federal prosecutors recently announced charges related to a murder-for-hire plot on behalf of Iran, raising concerns about the safety of former President Trump and prompting the Secret Service to enhance his security.

The Trump campaign, in response to the hacking, has urged news organizations not to publish the documents sent by the hackers. It is worth noting that in the 2016 election, then-candidate Trump praised WikiLeaks for publishing hacked Democratic emails that were suspected to be stolen by Russia.

As the Trump campaign faces the challenges of email hacks and possible assassination attempts, campaign advisors have described a tense atmosphere with enhanced security measures around the former president and increased caution regarding email usage.

Overall, this incident underscores the persistent threat of cyberattacks on political campaigns and the urgent need for robust cybersecurity measures to safeguard the integrity of democratic processes. Authorities continue to investigate and monitor foreign interference in US elections to prevent further disruptions.