March 27 (UPI) — Iran-linked hackers broke into FBI Director Kash Patel’s personal email account, multiple news outlets reported Friday.
The hackers published photos and emails from the account from before Patel became FBI director, CNN, CNBC and CBS News reported. CNN said a source familiar with the breach confirmed the authenticity of the photos.
The emails the group stole from Patel date from around 2011 to 2022. They include personal, business and travel communication.
The hacking group, Handala Hack Team, said on their website that Patel “will now find his name among the list of successfully hacked victims.”
The photos published include Patel sniffing and smoking cigars, riding in an antique convertible, and making a face while taking a picture of himself in the mirror with a large bottle of rum. There are family photos and details of Patel searching for an apartment.
The group calls it a breach of “impenetrable” FBI systems, but the FBI was not breached.
“This isn’t an FBI compromise — it’s someone’s personal junk drawer,” cybersecurity researcher Ron Fabela told CNN.
“The FBI is aware of malicious actors targeting Director Patel’s personal email information, and we have taken all necessary steps to mitigate potential risks associated with this activity,” a statement from the FBI said. “Consistent with President Trump’s Cyber Strategy for America, the FBI will continue to pursue the actors responsible, support victims, and share actionable intelligence in defense of networks.”
It also said the information taken, “is historical in nature and involves no government information.”
The FBI also said that the State Department has offered a $10 million reward for information that leads to the identification of the Handala Hack Team.
The hackers have said they hacked the account to retaliate for a missile strike on an Iranian school, CNN reported.
Handala claimed Thursday to have published the personal data of dozens of Lockheed Martin employees stationed in the Middle East. The company said in a statement it was aware of the reports and had policies and procedures in place “to mitigate cyber threats to our business.”
Gil Messing, chief of staff at Israeli cybersecurity company Check Point, told CNBC that the move against Patel was part of Iran’s strategy to embarrass U.S. officials and “make them feel vulnerable.”
On March 19, the FBI took down two websites used by Handala after it hacked the medical company Stryker on March 11. The two sites were: one that had information about its hacks and the other used to dox people it alleges work with the Israeli military. The website it used to post Patel’s information was registered the same day the other sites came down.
