The covert attempt to disrupt the 2020 election was exposed last October when FBI Director Chris Wray and others held a press conference to say that authorities were aware of the actions. of Iran. Now, two Iranians have been charged.
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The covert attempt to disrupt the 2020 election was exposed last October when FBI Director Chris Wray and others held a press conference to say that authorities were aware of the actions. of Iran. Now, two Iranians have been charged.
Sarah Silbiger / Getty Images
The Ministry of Justice has charge Two Iranian hackers are suspected of trying to intimidate US voters ahead of the 2020 US election, including sending threatening emails and spreading disinformation.
An unsealed indictment Thursday in New York charges Seyyyed Kazemi and Sajjad Kashian with a number of counts including conspiracy to hack, intimidation of voters and transmission of threats between states.
Prosecutors allege Kazemi and Kashian were part of a plot that sought to sow discord in the United States and undermine confidence in the electoral process during the 2020 presidential race.
The secret effort is public in October last year when then-Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe and FBI Director Chris Wray held a press conference to say that authorities were aware of Iran’s actions and that they had been interrupted. .
Now, the US government is charging the individuals believed to be behind the effort. The Treasury Department also announced sanctions against Kazemi and Kashian, both of whom are believed to be in Iran, as well as the Iranian company they are working for, Emennet Pasargad.
“The charges illustrate how disinformation campaigns work abroad and seek to cause disinformation,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen, head of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division. influence the American public. “The Department is committed to exposing and disrupting foreign bad influence efforts using all available tools, including criminal charges.”
US officials said Kazemi and Kashian were experienced computer hackers who had worked for Emennet Pasargad. Justice Department officials said the company worked for the Iranian government, but prosecutors did not allege the actions in this case were directed by Iranian leaders.
Threatening messages and misinformation
Prosecutors say that in the late summer and early fall of 2020, Kazemi and Kashian probed at least 11 state voter websites, including those holding voter registration information.
They managed to hack into the systems of at least one state, identified only in court papers as “State-1,” and download information regarding more than 100,000 voters.
The defendants then allegedly used that information to send threatening emails, posing as members of the radical group Proud Boys, to tens of thousands of registered Democratic voters in the state. The messages threatened physical violence if the recipient did not vote for then-President Donald Trump.
The alleged plots also targeted Republicans.
Prosecutors say the defendants sent emails and Facebook messages – again masquerading as Proud Boys – claiming that Democrats were planning to edit mail-in ballots to increase their voting chances. their.
The day after the election, the defendants allegedly tried to use login information they had stolen months earlier to access the network of an unnamed media company in an attempt to bring in the news. false statements to the American public. Prosecutors say that attempt failed because the media company had previously informed the FBI of the hack and had hardened their systems.
Justice Department officials said there was no evidence that Iranians could change voter registration or voting.
John Hultquist, vice president of intelligence analysis at cybersecurity firm Mandiant, said the case was a “good reminder” that Russia is not the only adversary posing a threat to the elections. America.
“Iran continues to innovate in this area, and they have taken on some dynamic activities to manipulate audiences in the US and elsewhere,” he said. “However, many of us were surprised to see such a bold and aggressive act from Iran.”
