WASHINGTON – Donald Trump has made history as the first presidential candidate facing active election hacking from a foreign adversary aiming to support him, while another seeks to undermine him, according to former U.S. officials and cybersecurity experts.

“Russia supports Trump. Iran is against him. It’s very clear,” stated Mike Hamilton, a security analyst and ex-government cybersecurity official, in a conversation with YSL News.

The details of these foreign efforts continue to emerge as U.S. intelligence agencies work to identify and interrupt the various ways Moscow and Tehran are influencing American voters.

Much of this covert activity revolves around manipulating potential voters through deep fakes, fake influencers, and other forms of disinformation on social media, similar to previous election cycles.

However, greater targets lie behind the digital barriers of the Trump and Kamala Harris presidential campaigns.

U.S. authorities and private cybersecurity experts report that Iran executed a complex “spear phishing” scheme to obtain and leak the Trump campaign’s internal documents concerning his potential GOP running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, to major news outlets.

Similarly, Russia conducted a nearly identical malicious email phishing attack that previously aided the real estate mogul in rising from relative anonymity to clinch the GOP nomination and beat Democrat Hillary Clinton eight years ago.

Nevertheless, there’s a significant change this election: While Russia aims to elevate Trump’s candidacy, Iran—worried about Trump’s strict stance toward its expansion and secret nuclear activities—has reportedly adapted the Kremlin’s playbook from 2016, hacking into and leaking potentially damaging communications from Trump’s campaign.

“It’s alarming that we have undeniable evidence of foreign nations interfering in our elections,” remarked Adam Marrè, a former FBI Special Agent specializing in cyber investigations and foreign influence operations in the U.S.

“I’m not certain that this is the first election where multiple nations have tried to help or hurt candidates, but I believe this may be the first where we, as citizens, are cognizant of it in real-time,” Marrè told YSL News.

The Trump campaign has not responded yet to inquiries about the foreign hacking activities.

Thus far, Russia hasn’t publicly executed a “hack and leak” strategy in this election cycle like Iran appears to have done. However, as Chris Krebs, the former head of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, cautions, there’s still ample time leading up to election day.

“Brace yourselves,” Krebs posted on X (formerly Twitter) last Saturday after the details of the Trump hack and leak emerged.

“Someone is following the 2016 playbook,” Krebs warned, adding, “prepare for ongoing attempts to ignite tensions in society and target election systems. … More is on the way, and we need to stay alert.”

Krebs referred to “the Russification of Iranian information operations” as a concerning new development in foreign attempts to sway U.S. elections.

“Regardless of whether you support the individual involved, the adversary has no regard for your preferences,” said Krebs, who was dismissed from his position by Trump after asserting the 2020 election was the most secure in American history.

He further added, “They have their own goals, and you need to recognize that you are in their crosshairs. Take this issue seriously.”

Hackings: Trump vs. Hillary

The Trump campaign admitted to the hack on the same day Politico reported that they received emails from an anonymous source containing documents from within Trump’s team, including a dossier related to potential vice presidential candidate Vance and Florida Senator Marco Rubio.

Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung commented, “Iranians are aware that President Trump will put an end to their acts of terror, just as he did during his first term in office.” He further stated, “Any media organization that publishes these documents or internal communications is helping America’s adversaries and playing right into their hands.”

Just a day prior, Microsoft’s security team revealed an Iranian hacking attempt soon after the Office of the Director of National Intelligence issued alerts regarding Iran’s plans to interfere in the upcoming U.S. presidential election.

Both the Washington Post and New York Times reported they received similar documents, but so far, no media outlet has published material based on these stolen documents.

This situation has led supporters of Hillary Clinton to argue there’s a double standard, highlighting that multiple outlets had previously published damaging information leaked from the emails of Clinton’s campaign chairman John Podesta shortly before the 2016 election.

While Iran appears to be targeting the former president and GOP candidate, U.S. intelligence has stated that Russia is trying to influence the election in Trump’s favor.

The Department of Justice is investigating Russian attempts to interfere in the elections, particularly to undermine critics of its war in Ukraine. In July, they revealed that 968 social media accounts were being used to promote messages supporting Russian goals and to “spread disinformation and create divisions among Americans,” according to Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco.

“With less than 100 days before Election Day, the Intelligence Community has confirmed that Russia remains the major foreign threat to our elections,” Monaco mentioned to a lawyers’ group on August 2.

In various press briefings throughout the year, representatives from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence have avoided identifying specific countries responsible for targeting particular candidates to either assist or harm them.

They have emphasized that Russia, Iran, China, and potentially other nations are likely to interfere in the elections to create divisions within the American voter base.

However, during a July briefing, a U.S. intelligence official reportedly told reporters, “We are yet to see a shift in Russia’s preferences in the presidential race compared to previous elections, given the U.S.’s role regarding Ukraine and broader relations with Russia.”

Trump has consistently criticized U.S. military support for Ukraine and strongly implied he would either discontinue or significantly reduce American assistance if he were to return to the presidency.

Adam Hickey, a former deputy assistant attorney general responsible for overseeing the DOJ’s national security division, previously led U.S. countermeasures against Russian attempts to influence U.S. elections before leaving to pursue private practice in May 2023.

He indicated that the conflicting goals of Russian and Iranian hackers regarding Trump’s campaign signify the onset of spy-versus-spy scenarios in U.S. elections.

“It’s conceivable that future elections may see hacks and information leaks from both campaigns executed by rival nations, which may ultimately become our reality,” Hickey asserted.

Hickey expressed his primary concern is not that these electoral hacks could sway enough votes to alter an election, but rather that “a significant foreign influence could exist that doesn’t necessarily change votes but leads people to perceive that votes have been altered, ultimately damaging trust in the electoral outcome,” Hickey stated.

On Monday, as the FBI verified that it is investigating claims that Iranian hackers accessed Trump’s campaign, the Harris campaign also disclosed that it had been a target of a failed spear phishing attack, as reported by The Washington Post.

“Every nation has a stake in this matter,” Hamilton remarked. “Whether they act overtly like Iran did or covertly like Russia, they all aim for a desired outcome.”