Iran-linked hackers accessed the personal email account of FBI Director Kash Patel and released hundreds of emails and photos online, moving quickly after federal authorities targeted the same network.
The FBI confirmed the breach and said the material did not include classified information.
“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. The information in question is historical in nature and involves no government information.”
The group behind the breach, Handala, posted more than 300 emails and photos from what appears to be Patel’s personal Gmail account. The material includes years of personal correspondence, travel records, family exchanges, and images that confirm the authenticity of photos of Patel, with emails dating from roughly 2011 through 2022.
Some of the emails show routine personal and business exchanges, including travel planning and contacts built over years in government and private work. The release does not show access to FBI systems, but it does place a long record of private communications into public circulation all at once.
The hackers tied the release to recent U.S. action against their network.
“We decided to respond to this ridiculous show in a way that will be remembered forever.”
The Justice Department seized multiple domains tied to the same network earlier this month. The group registered the domain used in this breach the same day those seizures were announced.
Federal officials link the group to Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security. Officials warned Patel in 2024 that Iranian-linked hackers had already accessed parts of his personal communications as part of a broader effort targeting officials tied to President Donald Trump.
The emails predate Patel’s tenure as FBI director and stretch back more than a decade. The group held the material, waited for the takedown, and then put it out under his name.
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