Iranian-linked group claims breach of FBI director’s personal email

On Friday, a hacking group known as Handala, which is backed by the Iranian government, claimed to have breached the personal email account of FBI Director Kash Patel. On its website, the group published several pictures of a younger Patel alongside a link to a cache of files that appear to originate from his personal Gmail account. The FBI acknowledged the targeting of Patel’s personal data but downplayed its current significance. “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,” said a spokesperson for the FBI.

TechCrunch confirmed the authenticity of several leaked emails by verifying information within their message headers—information from the sender that helps email delivery systems confirm that an email is genuine. The verification also relied on cryptographic signatures, which are digital signatures used to verify the authenticity of emails. Using a tool to verify several emails sent by Patel from his Gmail account, TechCrunch found cryptographic signatures that matched the messages, strongly suggesting they are authentic. The analysis also showed that Patel sent emails in 2014 from his former Justice Department account to his personal Gmail. The files in the leaked cache appear to date up to 2019.

The FBI is offering up to $10 million in rewards for information relating to the Handala hackers. U.S. prosecutors have formally accused the Iranian ministry of intelligence and security of operating the Handala group. The group has ramped up its activities since the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran started in February, including a destructive attack against medical tech giant Stryker. Following the Stryker incident, the FBI seized several of Handala’s websites, though they quickly returned online under new domains. The hackers did not respond to requests for comment sent to their publicized chat account and an email address published by the Justice Department.

Why it matters

The breach of an FBI director’s personal email by a group linked to the Iranian government highlights ongoing cybersecurity threats against high-level U.S. officials.