An Iran-linked hacking group, Handala Hack Team, claims to have breached the personal email account of FBI Director Kash Patel, posting what appears to be authentic personal and work-related correspondence online. The FBI is investigating the breach and offering a reward for information on the group. The group, believed to be linked to Iranian intelligence, has previously targeted U.S. companies. The compromised data includes emails, documents, and personal photos dating back to 2010.
The group, which calls itself Handala Hack Team, said on its website that Patel was among its “successfully hacked victims.” A Justice Department official first confirmed to Reuters that Patel’s email account had been compromised and said material posted online appeared to be authentic.
“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," an FBI spokesperson told."The information in question is historical in nature and involves no government information."The Gmail address the hackers said they accessed matched an address previously linked to Patel in older data breaches tracked by the dark web intelligence firm District 4 Labs. Handala posted on its website that after the FBI had seized its domain names and announced $10 million rewards for its members, the group decided to fight back with the hack.The FBI later said that the Department of State's Rewards for Justice program was offering"up to a $10 million reward for information leading to the identification of the Handala Hack Team out of Iran."appeared to include a mix of personal and work-related correspondence dating from 2010 to 2019. The scope of the breach and how the account was accessed were not immediately clear. Part of the release showed what appeared to be personal photos of Patel while travelling, as well as a resume."The so-called 'impenetrable' systems of the FBI were brought to their knees within hours by our team," Handala said on its website."All personal and confidential information of Kash Patel, including emails, conversations, documents, and even classified files, is now available for public download."researchers consider Handala to be one of several online personas used by Iranian government-linked cyber intelligence units. The group describes itself as a pro-Palestinian collective and has previously claimed responsibility for cyberattacks on U.S. companies. On March 19, the U.S. Department of Justice said it had seized four domains used by Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security, including sites linked to Handala, which had been used to hack U.S. and other targets in recent weeks. "Iran thought they could hide behind fake websites and keyboard threats to terrorize Americans and silence dissidents,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a press release. “We took down four of their operation's pillars and we're not done. This FBI will hunt down every actor behind these cowardly death threats and cyberattacks and will bring the full force of American law enforcement down on them.”The bureau also said that it would continue to pursue those responsible and support victims of hacking.Update 3/27/26, 12:48 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.In a polarized era, the center is dismissed as bland. At, ours is different: The Courageous Center—it's not"both sides," it's sharp, challenging and alive with ideas. We follow facts, not factions. If that sounds like the kind of journalism you want to see thrive, we need you.
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