Solicited by the AFP, the FBI has confirmed this hacking but assured that the stolen information predated Kash Patel’s appointment as head of the federal police in 2025 and had no official character. “The FBI is aware that malicious actors are targeting the information in Director Patel’s personal email and we have taken all necessary measures to respond to the potential risks associated with this activity,” it said in a statement. “The information in question is by nature old and does not involve any government information,” adds the FBI.
The hackers have published photos and emails from Kash Patel, including trips taken between 2011-2022, as specifically noted by CNN, citing sources close to the file who confirm the apparent authenticity of these documents.
A message dedicated to the “martyrs of Dena”
Handala, one of the most active groups of cyber pirates since the beginning of the war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran, is considered by many cybersecurity experts to be affiliated with the Islamic Republic. The group claimed responsibility for hacking Kash Patel’s email in a message reposted on social media monitoring accounts, stating that it was a “response” to the FBI seizing domain names belonging to them.
The message is dedicated to the “martyrs of Dena”, the over 80 sailors killed in the torpedoing of the Iranian frigate Dena by an American submarine in early March in international waters off Sri Lanka as it returned from an exercise in neighboring India.
Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice announced the seizure of four websites, including two named Handala, which it linked to the activities of “cyber piracy” by the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security.
Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department announced a reward of up to $10 million for any information on individuals engaging in cyberattacks against vital U.S. infrastructure on behalf of a foreign power. In an update to this message posted on social media on Friday, American diplomacy specifically mentioned “malicious Iranian cyber actors,” including the Handala group.
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