{"articles":[{"reaction_config":[{"text":"Yes","color":"#624960","stance":"yes"},{"text":"Maybe","color":"#edb723","stance":"maybe"},{"text":"No","color":"#4ac6ec","stance":"no"}],"id":35729,"title":"NYT: Iranian Hack on Government Officials, Journalists Also Targeted Trump Campaign","html_content":"

by Axios | 10.4.19

Microsoft believes an Iranian group tried to hack 241 email accounts of “a U.S. presidential campaign, current and former U.S. government officials, journalists covering global politics and prominent Iranians living outside Iran,” the company said Friday in a blog post.

The impact: The hackers — who were apparently backed by Iran's government — targeted President Trump's re-election campaign, the New York Times reports. The group allegedly compromised 4 accounts, which Microsoft said did not belong to government officials or a presidential campaign.

The big picture: The hacking attempts were not technologically complicated, and often involved using personal information found through research to reset victim passwords, including breaching a user’s backup email account to leverage access to a primary Microsoft-managed account.

The group Microsoft believes is behind the hacks is well-documented and directed by the Iranian government. In different naming schemes, it is called APT 35, Charming Kitten, The Ajax Security Team and Phosphorus.

The motive of the hackers is not immediately clear. Though election tampering is likely at the front of the American psyche for the U.S. targets, most foreign espionage is just espionage — spying to gain information to better understand global affairs and negotiations.

Go deeper: For hacked campaigns, 2020 might as well be 2016

","image_urls":{"small":"https://ul.countable.us/ul/v1570234204/axios-rss/cwtmwgkq8tletink74fg.jpg","medium":"https://ul.countable.us/ul/v1570234204/axios-rss/cwtmwgkq8tletink74fg.jpg","large":"https://ul.countable.us/ul/v1570234204/axios-rss/cwtmwgkq8tletink74fg.jpg","thumb":"https://ul.countable.us/ul/v1570234204/axios-rss/cwtmwgkq8tletink74fg.jpg","xsmall":"https://ul.countable.us/ul/v1570234204/axios-rss/cwtmwgkq8tletink74fg.jpg"},"links":{"self":"https://www.causes.com/articles/35729-nyt-iranian-hack-government-officials-journalists-targeted-trump-campaign","article_comments":"https://www.causes.com/api/articles/35729-nyt-iranian-hack-government-officials-journalists-targeted-trump-campaign/comments"},"comment_count":130,"action_count":970,"cta_prompt":"Are you concerned about election security in the 2020 election?","cta_type":"reactions","share_count":6,"published_at":"2019-10-05T00:10:05.308Z","is_countable_article":false,"allow_advocacy":true,"profile_id":55,"signed":false,"signatures_count":null,"signatures_goal":100,"signable_progress":0,"video_url":null,"video_dimensions":null,"video_aspect_ratio":null}],"users":[{"name":"Isaac","vote_count":448,"photos":{"large":"https://graph.facebook.com/1890886271188150/picture?width=150&height=150","small":"https://graph.facebook.com/1890886271188150/picture?width=75&height=75","tiny":"https://graph.facebook.com/1890886271188150/picture?width=20&height=20","facebook":"https://graph.facebook.com/1890886271188150/picture"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/1Zxn0bP9/following","followers":"/api/users/1Zxn0bP9/followers"},"about_me":null,"twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":null,"issue_count":14,"is_following":null,"influence_score":390,"influence_level":20,"follower_count":13,"following_count":4,"position_count":397,"id":"1Zxn0bP9","partner_id":null},{"name":"Brian","vote_count":633,"photos":{"large":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/Q9zejaOm/large_q9zejaom-1593604071.jpg","small":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/Q9zejaOm/small_q9zejaom-1593604071.jpg","tiny":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/Q9zejaOm/tiny_q9zejaom-1593604071.jpg","facebook":"https://graph.facebook.com/10212492284331978/picture"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/Q9zejaOm/following","followers":"/api/users/Q9zejaOm/followers"},"about_me":"We all have inalienable rights, and we must keep working together until we're all able to exercise our rights equally without infringing on or hurting others.","twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":null,"issue_count":37,"is_following":null,"influence_score":3030,"influence_level":30,"follower_count":124,"following_count":7,"position_count":616,"id":"Q9zejaOm","partner_id":null},{"name":"jimK","vote_count":544,"photos":{"large":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/9odrQBnb/large_9odrqbnb-1557000969.jpg","small":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/9odrQBnb/small_9odrqbnb-1557000969.jpg","tiny":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/9odrQBnb/tiny_9odrqbnb-1557000969.jpg"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/9odrQBnb/following","followers":"/api/users/9odrQBnb/followers"},"about_me":"Retired, Politically Independent. Won’t listen to slogans, chanted mantras or generally any kind of marketing spin or “rebranding” crap. I firmly believe that everyone else is entitled to their erroneous opinions. Citizen vigilance and due diligence is price we must pay to live in a thriving, functional democracy.\nI fear that our citizens are too easily swayed by politician’s pablum about “babies”, “jobs” and now, in particular, perceived “enemies”. I fear that a citizenry focused on the “here-and-now” is easily tricked by short term benefits that have negative long-term consequences. I fear that our legislators are more concerned about buffing their constituents than looking out for the long-term welfare of our country- and are way too eager to provide those short-term benefits to the “here-and-now” crowd.\nI fear that honor is generally being sacrificed/replaced by expediency. I hear politicians eloquently argue for one side of an issue and later, when it’s to their benefit, just as eloquently argue for the opposite side. OK, so they are good at arguing- but what is that they actually believe? What is it that they actually stand for? An honorable person has values that persist even when it is not convenient or expedient. An honorable person has a moral compass that stops them from doing something wrong even if it is not illegal. A foul is a foul- even if the referee doesn’t catch you.\nI fear that each of our federal governmental branches have devised or discovered shortcuts which tend to protect them from the checks and balances our founders intended.","twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":"jimk","issue_count":4,"is_following":null,"influence_score":44850,"influence_level":40,"follower_count":1529,"following_count":81,"position_count":539,"id":"9odrQBnb","partner_id":null}],"article_comment":{"flagged":false,"id":1062399,"body":"Paper ballots, abolish the electoral college, ban gerrymandering. ","parent_type":"Article","parent_id":35729,"created_at":"2019-10-06T12:50:30.623Z","liked":false,"like_count":2,"links":{"self":"https://www.causes.com/comments/1062399","likers":"https://www.causes.com/api/v1/likers?likeable_id=1062399&likeable_type=Comment"},"article_id":35729,"shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/comments/1062399.png","note":{"text":"Yes","color":"#624960","stance":"yes"},"note_text":"Yes","note_color":"#624960","user_id":"1Zxn0bP9","liker_ids":["Q9zejaOm","9odrQBnb"]}}

Like Causes?

Comment Liked by 2 Users