Latest news with #RogerStone
Gizmodo
a day ago
- Politics
- Gizmodo
Hackers Are Threatening to Release Emails Stolen from Trump's Aides, Roger Stone, and Stormy Daniels
Last summer, hackers believed to be associated with the Iranian military stole a trove of documents from the Trump campaign. They then proceeded to leak the docs to Biden staffers, as well as to a number of major U.S. media organizations, including the New York Times and Politico. At the time, some commentators assessed that Iran was attempting to influence the course of the U.S. presidential election. Now, those same hackers are back, and threatening to release another 100 gigabytes of stolen data. The group in question, which goes by the name 'Robert,' recently told Reuters that they have internal emails sent by some of Trump's top associates, including his chief of staff, Susie Wiles, Trump fanboy Roger Stone, Trump attorney Lindsey Halligan, and Stormy Daniels, the former porn star who claims she and the President had an affair. The hackers told the outlet that they were considering selling the emails, but didn't give much of a clue as to what the emails might say or who they might sell them to. It's obviously an interesting time for the group to resume activities, given the fact that the U.S. (under Trump's direction) just bombed Iran. That said, it stands to reason that if the group had anything truly salacious to reveal, the time to threaten the release of those materials would have been prior to the U.S.'s attack on its country, so as to give its government a bargaining chip. The Trump administration has predictably sought to downplay and discredit the group's most recent claims. 'This so-called cyber 'attack' is nothing more than digital propaganda, and the targets are no coincidence,' Marci McCarthy, director of public affairs at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), said on X. 'This is a calculated smear campaign meant to damage President Trump and discredit honorable public servants who serve our country with distinction. These criminals will be found and they will be brought to justice.' Gizmodo reached out to the White House for more information. While Iran isn't considered one of the most sophisticated cyber actors in the world (Israel, for instance, is considered to be much more formidable), the group that allegedly hacked the Trump campaign is said to employ fairly tricky tactics. Reuters previously reported that the group, which has also been given the monikers APT42 or 'CharmingKitten,' is known for placing malware on officials' phones that can record their calls and monitor their mobile activities. The group is also alleged to have previously stolen emails from officials not directly tied to the Trump campaign, including a former CIA deputy director, the former U.S. ambassador to Israel, and other high-level government officials. In September of 2024, the outgoing Biden Justice Department charged three Iranian operatives with having hacked and stolen the materials from the Trump campaign. The three hackers were said to have been in the employ of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. The government said the hack-and-leak operation was part of an effort to 'stoke discord, erode confidence in the U.S. electoral process, and unlawfully acquire information relating to current and former U.S. officials.'
Asharq Al-Awsat
a day ago
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Iran-Linked Hackers Threaten to Release Trump Aides' Emails
Iran-linked hackers have threatened to disclose more emails stolen from US President Donald Trump's circle, after distributing a prior batch to the media ahead of the 2024 US election. In online chats with Reuters on Sunday and Monday, the hackers, who go by the pseudonym Robert, said they had roughly 100 gigabytes of emails from the accounts of White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Trump lawyer Lindsey Halligan, Trump adviser Roger Stone and porn star-turned-Trump antagonist Stormy Daniels. Robert raised the possibility of selling the material but otherwise did not provide details of their plans. The hackers did not describe the content of the emails. Halligan, Stone, a representative for Daniels and the US cyberdefense agency CISA did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The White House and the FBI responded with a statement from FBI Director Kash Patel, who said: "Anyone associated with any kind of breach of national security will be fully investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law." Iran's mission to the United Nations did not immediately return a message seeking comment. Tehran has in the past denied committing cyberespionage. Robert materialized in the final months of the 2024 presidential campaign, when they claimed to have breached the email accounts of several Trump allies, including Wiles. The hackers then distributed emails to journalists. Reuters previously authenticated some of the leaked material, including an email that appeared to document a financial arrangement between Trump and lawyers representing former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. - now Trump's health secretary. Other material included Trump campaign communication about Republican office-seekers and discussion of settlement negotiations with Daniels. Although the leaked documents did garner some coverage last year, they did not fundamentally alter the presidential race, which Trump won. The US Justice Department in a September 2024 indictment alleged that Iran's Revolutionary Guards ran the Robert hacking operation. In conversations with Reuters, the hackers declined to address the allegation. After Trump's election, Robert told Reuters that no more leaks were planned. As recently as May, the hackers told Reuters, "I am retired, man." But the group resumed communication after this month's 12-day air war between Israel and Iran, which was capped by US bombing of Iran's nuclear sites. In messages this week, Robert said they were organizing a sale of stolen emails and wanted Reuters to "broadcast this matter." American Enterprise Institute scholar Frederick Kagan, who has written about Iranian cyberespionage, said Tehran suffered serious damage in the conflict and its spies were likely trying to retaliate in ways that did not draw more US or Israeli action. "A default explanation is that everyone's been ordered to use all the asymmetric stuff that they can that's not likely to trigger a resumption of major Israeli/US military activity," he said. "Leaking a bunch more emails is not likely to do that." Despite worries that Tehran could unleash digital havoc, Iran's hackers took a low profile during the conflict. US cyber officials warned on Monday that American companies and critical infrastructure operators might still be in Tehran's crosshairs.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Iran-linked hackers threaten to release Trump aides' emails
An Iran-linked group is threatening to dump emails hacked from members of President Donald Trump's inner circle, prompting the FBI to threaten to go after anyone associated with a national security breach. The group, whose contact uses the pseudonym Robert, says it has already obtained a trove of digital data – including from White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, who Trump terms the 'Ice Maiden' due to her tough reputation and influence. It claims another target was Stormy Daniels , whose claim of a 2006 affair led to Trump's New York hush money trial last year. The group claims it has obtained 100 gigabytes of emails, and also said it had hacked the accounts of Trump lawyer Lindsey Halligan and longtime Trump advisor Roger Stone. Stone continues to be in contact with the president, as his May 30 text message to Trump established when photographers captured it during Trump's trip to Pennsylvania . The group made its claim of holding the information in comments to Reuters , while also raising the idea of selling it. The same group tried to peddle hacked information last year from inside Trump's presidential campaign. While most mainstream media outlets didn't bite – despite Trump speaking openly about hacked materials from Hillary Clinton's camp during the 2016 campaign that got dumped on WikiLeaks – some of the leaked material appeared to be authentic, internal in opposition research file drawn from public information about now Vice President JD Vance. The nation's top law enforcement officers threatened to hit back hard. 'Anyone associated with any kind of breach of national security will be fully investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,' said FBI Director Kash Patel. AG Pam Bondi called it 'an unconscionable cyber-attack.' Daniels became a Trump rival as the two clashed during his 2016 election campaign. Trump's criminal trial did feature foul-mouthed text messages between Daniels, lawyer Keith Davidson, and former Trump 'fixer' Michael Cohen. The 2024 hack did not appear to have a major impact on the campaign. Reuters previously authenticated some of the material, including an email purporting to show a financial link between Trump and lawyers for his one-time presidential rival Robert F. Kennedy. Kennedy later endorsed Trump and is now Health and Human Services Secretary. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency posted about the hack threats online. 'A hostile foreign adversary is threatening to illegally exploit purportedly stolen and unverified material in an effort to distract, discredit, and divide,' CISA said in an X post. '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. These criminals will be found and they will be brought to justice. Let this be a warning to others, there will be no refuge, tolerance, or leniency for these actions.' News of the Iran-linked group's hack comes days after Trump announce a stop in the fighting between Israel and Iran, after Trump ordered a U.S. air assault on three Iranian nuclear facilities.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Trump's 'Ice Maiden' Susie Wiles and Stormy Daniels hacked by Iranian group threatening private emails release
An Iran-linked group is threatening to dump emails hacked from members of President Donald Trump 's inner circle, prompting the FBI to threaten to go after anyone associated with a national security breach. The group, whose contact uses the pseudonym Robert, says it has already obtained a trove of digital data – including from White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, who Trump terms the 'Ice Maiden' due to her tough reputation and influence. It claims another target was porn star Stormy Daniels, whose claim of a 2006 affair led to Trump's New York hush money trial last year. The group claims it has obtained 100 gigabytes of emails, and also said it had hacked the accounts of Trump lawyer Lindsey Halligan and longtime Trump advisor Roger Stone. Stone continues to be in contact with the president, as his May 30 text message to Trump established when photographers captured it during Trump's trip to Pennsylvania. The group made its claim of holding the information in comments to Reuters, while also raising the idea of selling it. The same group tried to peddle hacked information last year from inside Trump's presidential campaign. While most mainstream media outlets didn't bite – despite Trump speaking openly about hacked materials from Hillary Clinton's camp during the 2016 campaign that got dumped on WikiLeaks – some of the leaked material appeared to be authentic, internal in opposition research file drawn from public information about now Vice President JD Vance. The nation's top law enforcement officers threatened to hit back hard. 'Anyone associated with any kind of breach of national security will be fully investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,' said FBI Director Kash Patel. AG Pam Bondi called it 'an unconscionable cyber-attack.' Daniels became a Trump rival as the two clashed during his 2016 election campaign. Trump's criminal trial did feature foul-mouthed text messages between Daniels, lawyer Keith Davidson, and former Trump 'fixer' Michael Cohen. The 2024 hack did not appear to have a major impact on the campaign. Reuters previously authenticated some of the material, including an email purporting to show a financial link between Trump and lawyers for his one-time presidential rival Robert F. Kennedy. Kennedy later endorsed Trump and is now Health and Human Services Secretary. The group also says it hacked longtime Trump advisor Roger Stone President Donald Trump disembarks from Air Force One while holding his cellphone with a text message from Roger Stone upon arrival at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, May 30, 2025, after traveling to Pennsylvania The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency posted about the hack threats online. 'A hostile foreign adversary is threatening to illegally exploit purportedly stolen and unverified material in an effort to distract, discredit, and divide,' CISA said in an X post. '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. These criminals will be found and they will be brought to justice. Let this be a warning to others, there will be no refuge, tolerance, or leniency for these actions.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iran-linked hackers threaten to release Trump aides' emails
By Raphael Satter WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Iran-linked hackers have threatened to disclose more emails stolen from U.S. President Donald Trump's circle, after distributing a prior batch to the media ahead of the 2024 U.S. election. In online chats with Reuters on Sunday and Monday, the hackers, who go by the pseudonym Robert, said they had roughly 100 gigabytes of emails from the accounts of White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Trump lawyer Lindsey Halligan, Trump adviser Roger Stone and porn star-turned-Trump antagonist Stormy Daniels. Robert raised the possibility of selling the material but otherwise did not provide details of their plans. The hackers did not describe the content of the emails. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi described the intrusion as "an unconscionable cyber-attack." The White House and the FBI responded with a statement from FBI Director Kash Patel, who said: "Anyone associated with any kind of breach of national security will be fully investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law." "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," cyberdefense agency CISA said in a post on X. Halligan, Stone and a representative for Daniels did not respond to requests for comment. Iran's mission to the United Nations did not return a message seeking comment. Tehran has in the past denied committing cyberespionage. Robert materialized in the final months of the 2024 presidential campaign, when they claimed to have breached the email accounts of several Trump allies, including Wiles. The hackers then distributed emails to journalists. Reuters previously authenticated some of the leaked material, including an email that appeared to document a financial arrangement between Trump and lawyers representing former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. - now Trump's health secretary. Other material included Trump campaign communication about Republican office-seekers and discussion of settlement negotiations with Daniels. Although the leaked documents did garner some coverage last year, they did not fundamentally alter the presidential race, which Trump won. The U.S. Justice Department in a September 2024 indictment alleged that Iran's Revolutionary Guards ran the Robert hacking operation. In conversations with Reuters, the hackers declined to address the allegation. After Trump's election, Robert told Reuters that no more leaks were planned. As recently as May, the hackers told Reuters, "I am retired, man." But the group resumed communication after this month's 12-day air war between Israel and Iran, which was capped by U.S. bombing of Iran's nuclear sites. In messages this week, Robert said they were organizing a sale of stolen emails and wanted Reuters to "broadcast this matter." American Enterprise Institute scholar Frederick Kagan, who has written about Iranian cyberespionage, said Tehran suffered serious damage in the conflict and its spies were likely trying to retaliate in ways that did not draw more U.S. or Israeli action. "A default explanation is that everyone's been ordered to use all the asymmetric stuff that they can that's not likely to trigger a resumption of major Israeli/U.S. military activity," he said. "Leaking a bunch more emails is not likely to do that." Despite worries that Tehran could unleash digital havoc, Iran's hackers took a low profile during the conflict. U.S. cyber officials warned on Monday that American companies and critical infrastructure operators might still be in Tehran's crosshairs.
