A group of Iran-linked hackers has claimed that it accessed the personal inbox of FBI Director Kash Patel and published photographs of him along with his purported resume online, according to a Reuters report.
The hackers, identifying themselves as the Handala Hack Team, said on their website that Patel “will now find his name among the list of successfully hacked victims.”
Breach Confirmed, Authenticity Not Fully Verified
A US Justice Department official confirmed the breach of Patel’s emails to Reuters, though no further details were disclosed. The official added that the material published online appears to be authentic.
While the emails themselves were not immediately authenticated, Reuters reported that a review suggested they were a mix of professional and personal correspondence dating from 2010 to 2019.
The FBI has not yet responded to the reported breach. The hacker group also did not reply to Reuters’ request for comment.
Who Is The Handala Hack Team?
The group behind the alleged breach, Handala, describes itself as a pro-Palestinian vigilante hacking collective.
According to several Western researchers cited in the report, the group is believed to be linked to Iranian government cyberintelligence units and is used as one of its operational personas.
Previous Cyberattack Claims
On March 11, the same group claimed responsibility for another cyberattack, alleging that it had targeted Michigan-based medical devices and services provider Stryker and deleted a portion of the company’s data.
