Microsoft says hackers from Russia, China, and Iran have 'stepped up their efforts' to target the 2020 election

Hackers from Russia, China, and Iran have set their sights on the 2020 presidential election, including Russian hackers behind attacks in 2016, Microsoft has announced.

On Thursday, Microsoft said it has in recent weeks "detected cyberattacks targeting people and organizations involved in the upcoming presidential election," including "unsuccessful attacks" on people associated with the campaigns of both President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden.

Microsoft laid out in a blog post how Russian hackers who have been identified as being responsible for attacks on the 2016 Democratic presidential campaign have attacked "more than 200 organizations," including political campaigns and parties, and that since 2016, their tactics have "evolved."

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Additionally, Microsoft said Chinese hackers have attacked "high-profile individuals associated with the election," including people associated with Biden's campaign and at least one person formerly associated with the Trump administration, and Iranian hackers have attacked personal accounts of people associated with Trump's campaign. Most of the attacks were "detected and stopped," the company said.

The Washington Post reports that the Republican National Committee was "unsuccessfully targeted," but that it's "unclear by which country."

"We think Russian military intelligence poses the greatest foreign threat to the elections,” John Hultquist, intelligence analysis director at the cybersecurity firm FireEye, told the Post. "It's concerning to find them targeting organizations associated with campaigns again."

Microsoft said the activity "makes clear that foreign activity groups have stepped up their efforts targeting the 2020 election."