Who is ‘ROBERT’? Iran-linked hackers claim to have 100 GB of Trump aides’ emails, threaten to sell them | Explained
&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Who is ‘ROBERT’? Iran-linked hackers claim to have 100 GB of Trump aides’ emails, threaten to sell them | Explained")
Donald Trump, Stormy Daniels (L), Representative image of a hacker (R) Photograph: (Others)
The hacker, who goes by the pseudonym 'Robert', claims to have roughly 100 gigabytes (100 GB) of emails which they have stolen.
Donald Trump's aides are once again at risk of their communication getting leaked. An Iran-linked cyberattack group, which previously hacked US President Trump's 2024 campaign, has threatened to release a trove of emails stolen from his associates. The Trump associates at risk from this impending leak include White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, porn star-turned-Trump antagonist Stormy Daniels, and the POTUS' advisor Roger Stone and his lawyer Lindsey Halligan. The hacker, who goes by the pseudonym 'Robert', claims to have roughly 100 gigabytes (100GB) of emails which they have stolen.
What's in the emails?
As per a Reuters report, the news agency was in communication with the hackers 'Robert'. While Robert did not disclose the exact content of the emails, they raised the possibility of selling the material.
FBI launches investigation
The hack has been slammed as "an unconscionable cyber-attack" by US Attorney General Pam Bondi. Meanwhile, the White House and the FBI shared a statement from FBI Director Kash Patel, who vowed that "Anyone associated with any kind of breach of national security will be fully investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law".
Labelling the cyberattack "Digital propaganda", cyberdefence agency CISA in a post on X said that the targets of the hack were "no coincidence". It added that “This is a calculated smear campaign meant to damage President Trump and discredit honourable public servants who serve our country with distinction.”
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Who is the hacker group 'Robert'?
The hackers who operate under the pseudonym Robert materialised in the final months of the 2024 presidential campaign. At the time, they claimed to have breached the emails of a few of trump allies, including Wiles. They then distributed the emails to journalists.
As per Reuters, it managed to authenticate some emails, including one which appeared to be a financial agreement between Trump and Robert F. Kennedy, who is now Trump's health secretary. Other material released at the time included a discussion of settlement negotiations between Trump and Daniels.
In September 2024, the US Justice Department, in an indictment, alleged that the Robert hacking operation was run by Iran's Revolutionary Guards. But this information is yet to be confirmed or denied by "Robert".