The researchers from Microsoft discovered this in late June and officially announced it on August 9. They stated that this account continued to perform similar actions in many weeks following the initial attack.
Regarding the details of the attack, it was an email sent from the intelligence group of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran to a high-ranking U.S. official. The email contained a link that, when clicked, would grant access to the IRGC.
The hackers failed to successfully carry out this attack because Microsoft timely notified the official.
Experts speculate that this action comes from organized individuals and is from Iran. It is possible that they want to influence the outcome of the upcoming U.S. Presidential Election scheduled for November.
Subsequently, U.S. intelligence officials also released a report containing allegations that Iran uses multiple social media accounts to spread political discord in the U.S.
The Iranian delegation at the United Nations in New York has denied any involvement in cyber attacks. The representative also stated that the U.S. presidential election is an internal matter that Iran does not interfere with.
Furthermore, Microsoft discovered another form of apparent political interference in the U.S. originating from Iran. This includes websites operated by artificial intelligence named Savannah Time and Nio Thinker, which specialize in reporting on U.S. political issues.
