An Iranian hacking group is actively scouting US election-related websites and American media outlets as Election Day nears, with activity suggesting preparations for more “direct influence operations,” according to a Microsoft blog published on Wednesday.
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 battleground states, the report said. In May, they also scanned an unidentified US news outlet to understand its vulnerabilities.
US Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate, faces Republican rival Donald Trump in the November 5 Presidential Election, which polls suggest is an extremely tight race.
“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, they said.
A spokesperson for Iran’s mission to the United Nations said that “such allegations are fundamentally unfounded, and wholly inadmissible.”
“Iran neither has any motive nor intent to interfere in the US election,” the spokesperson said. (Reuters)
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