--- title: "Can We Trust the U.S. Elections Anymore? | DuoCircle" description: "Not if you believe the latest headlines. According to an article in Wired magazine, it’s not just the Russians anymore who are trying to affect the upcoming U." image: "https://www.duocircle.com/images/og-default.png" canonical: "https://www.duocircle.com/blog/phishing-protection/can-we-trust-the-u-s-elections-anymore/" --- Quick Answer Microsoft reported that an Iranian group targeted a US presidential campaign with a tailored email phishing operation, joining ongoing Russian activity around the same election cycle. Reuters identified the target as the Trump reelection campaign, which used Outlook for email. The technique was not novel: the same playbook (research the target, craft a personalized phishing email, harvest login credentials) was used to breach the DNC and Hillary Clinton's campaign in 2016\. The named group, Charming Kitten, focuses on careful target research and credential theft rather than zero-day exploits. The defensive takeaway is that high-value targets fall to email phishing because the attack vector keeps working: ransomware, data breaches, CEO fraud, and political compromise all start with a single phishing email. The mitigation is the same regardless of target: cloud-based email security with real-time link click protection, so a click on a phishing link gets intercepted before credentials reach the attacker. Share [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=undefined%2Fblog%2Fphishing-protection%2Fcan-we-trust-the-u-s-elections-anymore%2F "Share on LinkedIn") [ ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Can%20We%20Trust%20the%20U.S.%20Elections%20Anymore%3F&url=undefined%2Fblog%2Fphishing-protection%2Fcan-we-trust-the-u-s-elections-anymore%2F "Share on X/Twitter") [ ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=undefined%2Fblog%2Fphishing-protection%2Fcan-we-trust-the-u-s-elections-anymore%2F "Share on Facebook") [ ](https://reddit.com/submit?url=undefined%2Fblog%2Fphishing-protection%2Fcan-we-trust-the-u-s-elections-anymore%2F&title=Can%20We%20Trust%20the%20U.S.%20Elections%20Anymore%3F "Share on Reddit") [ ](mailto:?subject=Can%20We%20Trust%20the%20U.S.%20Elections%20Anymore%3F&body=Check out this article: undefined%2Fblog%2Fphishing-protection%2Fcan-we-trust-the-u-s-elections-anymore%2F "Share via Email") ![us elections](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2019/10/dmarc-report-6700.jpg) Not if you believe the latest headlines. According to an article in [Wired](https://www.wired.com/story/iran-hackers-target-us-presidential-candidate/?itm%5Fcampaign=TechinTwo) magazine, _it’s not just the Russians anymore who are trying to affect the upcoming U.S. elections_. Apparently, the Iranians are now trying to get in on the action too. According to Microsoft, “In an aggressive new **email phishing** push, the company says, Iranian hackers targeted a US presidential campaign. Microsoft wouldn’t say which candidate’s operations the Iranian assailants hit, but Reuters reported on Friday that the target was President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign, which is known to use Outlook as its email provider.” It’s news that Outlook is one of the most target email platforms, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that anyone using it, including the President of the United States is a potential victim. Of course, _when the President is the target, the stakes are higher._ How do you target the President? With a **spear phishing attack** on those close to him. The article went on to detail this. “_The Iranian group’s tactics may not involve cutting-edge digital hacking tools_, but tailored phishing attacks were, after all, how Russia got access to sensitive documents from both the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in 2016\. _Charming Kitten is known for conducting careful research on its targets, crafting tailored phishing campaigns, and hoarding the login credentials it nabs in its attacks._” [![ email security services ](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2019/10/DMARC-report-service-2277.jpg)](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2019/10/DMARC-report-service-2277.jpg) From ransomware to data breaches to CEO fraud to an attack on the U.S. President, the start of all the mischief is the same: a **phishing email**. And the solution is also always the same: cloud-based [email security services](/) with real-time _link click protection_ so that no matter how clever the phishing email, even if it gets someone to click on something they shouldn’t the attack will be thwarted. Even if you’re not running for President of the United States, you should still protect yourself and your employees from targeted **phishing attacks**. You know they’re coming. You no longer have any excuses. When you’re ready to take action, check out our [Phishing Protection](/email/phishing-protection) services. Protect all your employees from phishing attacks for just pennies a month per employee. ![Brad Slavin](https://media.mailhop.org/dmarcreport/images/team/brad-slavin.jpg) Brad Slavin General Manager General Manager at DuoCircle. Product strategy and commercial lead across the email security portfolio. ## Secure your email infrastructure Protect, authenticate, and deliver. Contact our team to find the right solution. [Contact Sales](/contact/) [Explore Products](/products/) Share this article [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.duocircle.com%2Fblog%2Fphishing-protection%2Fcan-we-trust-the-u-s-elections-anymore%2F) [ ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Can%20We%20Trust%20the%20U.S.%20Elections%20Anymore%3F&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.duocircle.com%2Fblog%2Fphishing-protection%2Fcan-we-trust-the-u-s-elections-anymore%2F) [ ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.duocircle.com%2Fblog%2Fphishing-protection%2Fcan-we-trust-the-u-s-elections-anymore%2F) Copy Related Articles - [ ![AI-Generated Phishing](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2026/04/spf-record-4522.jpg) AI-Generated Phishing Has Eliminated the Typo: Why Traditional Email Filters Are No Longer Enough Phishing ](/blog/ai-generated-phishing-eliminates-typos-making-traditional-email-filters-ineffective/) - [ ![spf-permerror-4555](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2023/05/spf-permerror-4555.jpg) 10 Applications of ChatGPT that Hackers Are Already Exploiting Phishing ](/blog/phishing-protection/10-applications-of-chatgpt-that-hackers-are-already-exploiting/) - [ ![Email-Based Cyber-Attacks](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2016/03/spf-record-tester-4455.jpg) 65% of Global Businesses Ill-Equipped to Defend Against Email-Based Cyber-Attacks Phishing ](/blog/phishing-protection/65-global-businesses-ill-equipped-defend-email-based-cyber-attacks/) - [ ![Email-based Ransomware Attacks](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2018/02/email-smtp-service-7834.jpg) 7 Ways to Protect Your Organization from Email-based Ransomware Attacks Phishing ](/blog/phishing-protection/7-ways-protect-organization-email-based-ransomware-attacks/) ## Related Articles [ Phishing 11m AI-Generated Phishing Has Eliminated the Typo: Why Traditional Email Filters Are No Longer Enough Apr 28, 2026 ](/blog/ai-generated-phishing-eliminates-typos-making-traditional-email-filters-ineffective/)[ Phishing 5m 10 Applications of ChatGPT that Hackers Are Already Exploiting May 3, 2023 ](/blog/phishing-protection/10-applications-of-chatgpt-that-hackers-are-already-exploiting/)[ Phishing 4m 65% of Global Businesses Ill-Equipped to Defend Against Email-Based Cyber-Attacks Mar 29, 2016 ](/blog/phishing-protection/65-global-businesses-ill-equipped-defend-email-based-cyber-attacks/)[ Phishing 9m 7 Ways to Protect Your Organization from Email-based Ransomware Attacks Feb 11, 2018 ](/blog/phishing-protection/7-ways-protect-organization-email-based-ransomware-attacks/) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Organization","name":"DuoCircle LLC","url":"https://www.duocircle.com","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://www.duocircle.com/images/duocircle-logo.png"},"description":"DuoCircle is a portfolio of specialized email products covering protection, authentication, delivery, and routing. 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