An Iran-linked cyberattack group is threatening to release a batch of emails stolen from President Donald Trump’s closest associates. The same group distributed a similar trove of hacked emails to journalists prior to the 2024 election.
The group of hackers, which operates under the pseudonym “Robert,” claims it possesses about 100 gigabytes of emails involving Trump associates, including White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and Trump adviser Roger Stone, according to a Reuters report on the threat.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency called the threatened cyberattack a “calculated smear campaign” designed to undermine the Trump administration, evidenced by its targets.
“A hostile foreign adversary is threatening to illegally exploit purportedly stolen and unverified material in an effort to distract, discredit, and divide,” the agency said in a statement late Monday. “This so-called cyber ‘attack’ is nothing more than digital propaganda, and the targets are no coincidence.”
“This is a calculated smear campaign meant to damage President Trump and discredit honorable public servants who serve our country with distinction,” the agency said.
Other allies of the president reportedly included in the stolen emails are Trump lawyer Lindsey Halligan and pornographic film actress Stormy Daniels, who took Trump to court over allegations that he paid her hush money to cover up their purported romantic affair.
The hackers told Reuters that they might sell the emails but did not disclose their plans or the contents of the material.
The cyber threat actor wanted the outlet to “broadcast this matter,” according to the news agency.
The same group hacked into the email accounts of Trump associates and distributed the contents to the news media ahead of the 2024 presidential election. The move, however, did not dramatically alter the outcome of the race between Trump and then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
Following the email leak, the Justice Department alleged in a September 2024 indictment that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps oversaw the hacking operation. The hackers did not respond to the allegation, and Iran has denied any involvement in cyber espionage.
US AGENCIES WARN DEFENSE COMPANIES OF POSSIBLE IRAN CYBERATTACKS
Trump administration officials are not tolerating the cyberattack group’s latest veiled threat.
“These criminals will be found and they will be brought to justice,” CISA said. “Let this be a warning to others, there will be no refuge, tolerance, or leniency for these actions.”