Washington, United States. Iran-linked hackers said they broke into FBI Director Kash Patel’s personal email inbox and published photographs and documents online. The FBI confirmed the account was targeted and said the material involved was historical and contained no government information.
Hackers publish photographs and email sample
On its website, the hacker group Handala Hack Team said Patel “will now find his name among the list of successfully hacked victims.” The group posted personal photographs showing Patel sniffing and smoking cigars, riding in an antique convertible, and taking a mirror selfie while holding a large bottle of rum.
Alongside the photographs, the hackers published a sample of more than 300 emails that appear to include a mix of personal and work correspondence dated between 2010 and 2019.
FBI response and verification limits
The FBI confirmed Patel’s emails had been targeted. In a statement, FBI spokesman Ben Williamson said, “we have taken all necessary steps to mitigate potential risks associated with this activity,” and that the data involved was “historical in nature and involves no government information.”
Reuters said it was not able to independently authenticate the messages. Reuters reported that the personal Gmail address Handala said it accessed matches an address linked to Patel in previous data breaches preserved by dark web intelligence firm District 4 Labs. Alphabet-owned Google, which runs Gmail, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Handala’s profile and recent claims
Handala presents itself as a pro-Palestinian vigilante hacker group, and Western researchers consider it to be among several personas used by Iranian government cyberintelligence units.
Handala recently claimed responsibility for a March 11 hack of Michigan-based medical devices and services provider Stryker SYK.N, saying it deleted a large trove of company data. The group also said on Thursday that it published personal data of dozens of defense company Lockheed Martin employees stationed in the Middle East. Lockheed Martin said it was aware of the reports and had policies and procedures in place “to mitigate cyber threats to our business.”
Conflict-linked cyber activity and expert comment
Iran-linked hackers, who Reuters reported initially kept a low profile after coordinated U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran last month, have increasingly publicized cyber operations as the conflict continues.
Gil Messing, chief of staff at Israeli cybersecurity company Check Point, said the hack-and-leak operation against Patel was part of Iran’s strategy to embarrass U.S. officials and “make them feel vulnerable.” He said the Iranians are “firing whatever they have.”
What impact do you think hack-and-leak operations can have on public officials and government institutions?
