Iran-linked hackers on Friday claimed they had accessed FBI Director Kash Patel’s personal email inbox, publishing photographs of the director and other documents to the internet.On their website, the hacker group Handala Hack Team said Patel “will now find his name among the list of successfully hacked victims.”
The hackers published a series of personal photographs of 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.
A Justice Department official confirmed that Patel’s email had been breached and said the material published online appeared authentic. The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The hackers did not immediately respond to messages.Handala, which calls itself a group of pro-Palestinian vigilante hackers, is considered by Western researchers to be one of several personas used by Iranian government cyberintelligence units.
Handala recently claimed the hack of Michigan-based medical devices and services provider Stryker (SYK.N), opens new tab on March 11, claiming to have deleted a massive trove of company data.
