Security News > 2020 > October > Feds: Iran Behind ‘Proud Boys’ Email Attacks on Democratic Voters

Federal officials claim that Iranian threat actors are behind two separate email campaigns that assailed Democratic voters this week with threats to "Vote for Trump or else." The campaigns claimed to be from violent extremist group Proud Boys.

Two specific email campaigns - one on Tuesday Oct. 20 and one on Wednesday, Oct. 21 - threatened Democratic voters in Alaska, Arizona and Florida that attackers accessed "All of your information." They warned that there would be dire repercussions if voters didn't cast their ballot for President Trump in the upcoming election, according to a Wednesday Proofpoint report.

The research came on the heels of a report from WUFT in Florida that the FBI was investigating threatening emails sent to Democratic voters in the state.

"We have already seen Iran sending spoofed emails designed to intimidate voters, incite voters and damage President Trump," Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe said in the briefing.

The email attacks and attempts to spread misinformation are a departure from recent and more typical tactics used by threat actors to interfere in the U.S. elections, such as impersonation of the Democratic National Committee and various fraudulent voter registration portals, researchers said.

News URL

https://threatpost.com/feds-iran-proud-boy-email-attacks-democratic-voters/160429/