An email account belonging to FBI Director Kash Patel was breached by Iranian hackers, according to the hacking group Handala and a Justice Department Official.
Handala publicly claimed responsibility for the breach of Patel’s personal email account, publishing photographs of the director along with his resume on their Telegram channel, Reuters reported.
A Justice Department official confirmed to Reuters that Patel’s emails were compromised but did not provide additional details.
The DOJ recently seized a number of domains belonging to Handala, which officials say were used “in furtherance of attempted psychological operations targeting adversaries of the regime by claiming credit for hacking activity, posting sensitive data stolen during such hacks, and calling for the killing of journalists, regime dissidents, and Israeli persons.”
The hacking group is known for conducting “hack and leak” operations, and is believed to be responsible for the recent wiper attack on medtech company Stryker.
In a recent alert, the FBI warned that Handala is deploying malware via Telegram, targeting dissidents and opponents of Iran.
