FBI Director Kash Patel’s email hacked by Iran-linked cyber criminals

FBI Director Kash Patel has been the target of an Iranian-linked hack, with his private emails, photos and purported resume being published online.

A Justice Department official confirmed to Reuters that his emails were compromised but did ⁠not go into detail. 

The Handala Hack Team said Mr. Patel “will now find his name among the list of successfully hacked victims,” with the hackers bragging that the “impenetrable” systems of the FBI were “brought to their knees within hours by our team.”

The hackers said they breached his personal inbox, uploading a mix of personal and work correspondence from 2010 to 2019. They touted the public release of emails, conversations, documents and classified files.

The pictures posted to its Telegram account include Mr. Patel sniffing a cigar and posing for photos. His alleged resume has his personal email and phone number.

“Today, once again, the world witnessed the collapse of America’s so-called security legends. While the FBI proudly seized our domains and immediately announced a $10 million reward for the heads of Handala Hack members, we decided to respond to this ridiculous show in a way that will be remembered forever,” the group said Friday on its website.

The Justice Department announced the seizure of two Handala domains last week, stating that they were used by Iran’s government for “attempted psychological operations targeting adversaries of the regime.” 

“Iran thought they could hide behind fake websites and keyboard threats to terrorize Americans and silence dissidents,” Mr. Patel said at the time.

In retaliation, the hackers’ website said that if the FBI director can be compromised “this easily,” then “what do you expect from your lower-level employees?” 

“This is the security that the U.S. government boasts about?! This is the cyber giant that thinks threats and bribes can silence the voice of resistance?! To the whole world, we declare: the FBI is just a name, and behind this name, there is no real security. If your director can be compromised this easily, what do you expect from your lower-level employees?” the post continued.

The Washington Times has reached out to the DOJ and Mr. Patel via his purported email address for comment.

Since the U.S. and Israel launched a joint strike against Iran in late February, the cybersecurity industry has braced for counterattacks.

The Handala Hack Team warned, “This is only the beginning of a new era of cyber warfare,” pledging to retaliate against the U.S. Tomahawk cruise missile that killed at least 165 civilians at a girls’ elementary school and U.S.-Israeli hacking operations against Iran.

“We announce to the world that, in retaliation for the brutal attack on the Minab school and in response to ongoing cyber assaults against the infrastructure of the Axis of Resistance, our major cyber operation has been executed with complete success,” the group’s website reads.

The hacktivist group was responsible for both this week’s data breach targeting Lockheed Martin senior staff and the Microsoft Intune wiping of over 200,000 devices at Stryker.

This is not the first time Iranian-backed hackers have breached Mr. Patel’s private communications, having targeted him in 2024, weeks before he was appointed to lead the FBI.

The Handala Hack Team “emerged in late 2023 and has since evolved into a disruptive and highly visible cyber threat actor, primarily targeting Israeli interests and organizations linked to them,” according to Cyble, an artificial intelligence-powered cybersecurity company.