8 out of 14 Trump administration officials clicked a link in a fake phishing email sent to them by Gizmodo


When sent a fake phishing email by the technology website Gizmodo, more than half of 14 targeted Trump administration officials fell for clicking on the potentially dangerous link. "We sent them an email that mimicked an invitation to view a spreadsheet in Google Docs," Gizmodo writes. "The emails came from the address security.test@gizmodomedia.com, but the sender name each one displayed was that of someone who might plausibly email the recipient, such as a colleague, friend, or family member."
Newt Gingrich and FBI Director James Comey both cautiously replied to the emails, "apparently taking the sender's identity at face value," Gizmodo notes. Other targets of Gizmodo's test included White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, senior adviser Stephen Miller, and Trump's cybersecurity adviser, Rudy Giuliani.
Eight different unique devices visited the site, one of them multiple times. There's no way to tell for sure if the recipients themselves did all the clicking (as opposed to, say, an IT specialist they'd forwarded it to), but seven of the connections occurred within 10 minutes of the emails being sent.At least the recipients didn't go farther. Our testing setup — which included disclaimers for careful readers at each step — did not induce anyone to go all the way and try to hand over their credentials. [Gizmodo]
While Gizmodo began their investigation three weeks ago, their findings couldn't be more timely. Last week, approximately a million Gmail users received an email purporting to contain a link to a Google Doc that had been shared by someone the user knew. "While contact information was accessed and used by the campaign, our investigations show that no other data was exposed," a Gmail spokesperson told CNBC.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Of course, not everyone is always so lucky; emails exchanged by the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton campaign were accessed after Clinton's campaign chairman, John Podesta, fell for a similar phishing email.
"These are not theoretical risks," Gizmodo writes. Read their full investigation here.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
Gandhi arrests: Narendra Modi's 'vendetta' against India's opposition
The Explainer Another episode threatens to spark uproar in the Indian PM's long-running battle against the country's first family
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK
-
How the woke right gained power in the US
Under the radar The term has grown in prominence since Donald Trump returned to the White House
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK
-
Codeword: April 24, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
By The Week Staff
-
Musk vows DOGE pullback as Tesla profits plunge
Speed Read The Tesla SEO says he will soon step back from government matters to devote more time to the company
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
IMF sees slump from tariffs, Trump tries to calm markets
Speed Read The International Monetary Fund predicts the U.S. and global economies will slow significantly due to the president's trade war
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
DHS chief Kristi Noem's purse stolen from eatery
Speed Read Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's purse was stolen while she dined with family at a restaurant in Washington, D.C.
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Trump stands by Hegseth amid ouster reports
Speed Read The president dismissed reports that he was on the verge of firing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over a second national security breach
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Hegseth reportedly shared war plans in 2nd group text
Speed Read The defense secretary sent information about an attack in Yemen to a Signal group chat that included his wife and brother
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Judge threatens Trump team with criminal contempt
Speed Read James Boasberg attempts to hold the White House accountable for disregarding court orders over El Salvador deportation flights
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Biden slams Trump's Social Security cuts
Speed Read In his first major public address since leaving office, Biden criticized the Trump administration's 'damage' and 'destruction'
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
El Salvador refuses to return US deportee
Speed Read President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador said he would not send back the unlawfully deported Kilmar Ábrego García
By Peter Weber, The Week US