Pro-Iranian Group Claims Hack of FBI Director Kash Patel’s Account

“The current head of the FBI, Kash Patel, who once saw his name proudly displayed at the agency’s headquarters, will now find his name among the list of victims who have been successfully hacked,” said a message from the Handala group on Friday.

The message was accompanied by a collection of photos, including one of Patel standing next to an antique sports car and holding a cigar in his mouth. The group also said it enabled emails and other documents to be downloaded from Patel’s account. Many of the records turned out to be related to his personal travels and work dating back more than 10 years.

“The FBI is aware of malicious actors targeting Director Patel’s personal email information, and we have taken all necessary steps to mitigate the potential risks associated with this activity,” the FBI said in a statement. “The information in question is historical in nature and does not contain any government information.”

The FBI statement did not identify the hackers believed to be responsible for the breach, but it said the Trump administration is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the identification of members of the Handala hacking group, which it said “frequently targets U.S. government officials.”

It was unclear when the attack claimed by Handala may have occurred. News reports from December 2024, before Patel was confirmed as director, said Patel had been tipped off by the FBI that he was being targeted as part of a hack in Iran.

Handala is a pro-Iran, pro-Palestinian hacking group that allegedly disrupted the systems of Stryker, a Michigan-based medical technology company, earlier this month. Handala said the attack was in retaliation for US attacks that killed Iranian schoolchildren. These are prominent examples of proxy groups carrying out cyber attacks on behalf of Iran.