Skip to main content

Russian hackers targeted firm working with Biden campaign

 

Russian hackers reportedly targeted a campaign advisory firm with ties to Joe Biden’s presidential campaign. 

Recommended Videos

According to a new report from Reuters, Microsoft warned the firm, called SKDKnickerbocker, of the hack. The hacking attempts took place over the past two months, but Reuters reports that hackers failed to infiltrate the firm’s network. 

Please enable Javascript to view this content

The hackers reportedly used various phishing techniques to try to infiltrate SKDK’s network. 

Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Digital Trends reached out to SKDKnickerbocker and the Biden campaign for comment. We will update this story when we hear back.

The report prepared by special counsel Robert Mueller last year found that the Russian government interfered in the 2016 presidential election, so attempts like this one by Russian hackers aren’t a good sign. However, government agencies such as the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security are regularly meeting with tech platforms to fight election interference and hacking attempts. 

In June, both Biden and President Donald Trump’s presidential campaigns’ Gmail accounts were targeted by foreign hackers. Hackers from Iran and China reportedly targeted campaign staffers’ Gmail accounts. 

Biden’s campaign told Digital Trends at the time that they were preparing for an attack like this one. 

“We have known from the beginning of our campaign that we would be subject to such attacks and we are prepared for them,” a campaign spokesperson said. “Biden for President takes cybersecurity seriously, we will remain vigilant against these threats, and will ensure that the campaign’s assets are secured.”

In that instance, there was no sign of any accounts being compromised, but with 53 days until the 2020 election, it’s troubling that hacks like these are continuing to happen. 

Allison Matyus
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Allison Matyus is a general news reporter at Digital Trends. She covers any and all tech news, including issues around social…
Biden takes aim at Facebook’s moderation policies
biden takes aim at facebooks moderation policies podium getty

 

Joe Biden's presidential campaign is targeting Facebook this week over its moderation policies, reportedly demanding that the social media site be held accountable for the misinformation and harassment shared on the platform.

Read more
Foreign hackers targeted Trump and Biden campaign Gmail accounts, Google says
Former Vice President Joe Biden

Hackers from Iran and China have targeted the presidential campaigns of both President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, according to Google.

Hackers reportedly targeted campaign staffers' Gmail accounts, according to a tweet from Shane Huntley, director for Google’s Threat Analysis Group, on Thursday. Huntley said there was no sign of any accounts being compromised and that Google sent users a warning about the targeted hack. 

Read more
Google Photos is getting new sorting features to cut out chaos
Someone holding a Pixel 9 Pro, running the Google Photos app.

The Google Photos app on Android has been updated with tools to organize the default view more effectively. Google has added fresh options in the app to hide any automatically saved media, such as screenshots or imaged and videos shared through messaging apps such as WhatsApp, bringing about a meaningful change for those who use Google Photos as the primary app to view and sort images and videos on their Android devices. This addition could be a part of the larger redesign that Google Photos may be getting soon.

With this update, Google has expanded sorting features and clubbed them under "Photos view," which replaces the earlier option to "personalize your grid." Android Authority first spotted these new settings, which bring options to "show content from other apps."

Read more