Meta Warns US Campaigns of Iranian Hackers

Meta issued a warning on Friday to US presidential campaigns after uncovering a network of hackers linked to Iran conducting "malicious activity" on the WhatsApp messaging service.

The tech giant identified the threat as originating from APT42, an Iranian group notorious for its persistent phishing attacks on political, diplomatic, and public figures.

The hackers reportedly targeted officials associated with both President Joe Biden's and former President Donald Trump’s administrations.

Although Meta found no evidence of compromised WhatsApp accounts, it alerted law enforcement and presidential campaigns to remain vigilant against potential threats as the US election approaches.

Further complicating the cybersecurity landscape, Google's threat intelligence revealed that this same Iranian group, tied to Iran's Revolutionary Guard, had attempted to breach personal email accounts of individuals linked to both campaigns since May.

These findings align with a recent Microsoft study that identified suspected Iranian cyber interference in the 2024 presidential election.

Meta reported blocking a "small cluster" of WhatsApp accounts that were impersonating tech support agents for companies like AOL, Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft.

The malicious activity, traced back to Iran, aimed to target individuals across several countries, including Israel, Palestine, Iran, the United States, and the UK.

Earlier this week, the FBI highlighted that these cyber activities are part of a broader Iranian effort to meddle in the US presidential election.