By Forbes. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has now confirmed that Director Kash Patel’s personal Gmail account has, indeed, been compromised by hackers and that email data has been accessed.
In a statement, the FBI said that “the information in question is historical in nature and involves no government information.” The Iran-linked hacktivist group Handala, also known as Handala Hack and Hatef, which was also behind the recent Stryker medical device attacks, has claimed responsibility. The FBI has confirmed that a $10 million reward is available for “information leading to the identification of the Handala Hack Team out of Iran.”
Researchers from the Sophos Counter Threat Unit have confirmed that the Handala Hack Team is an Iran-linked hacktivist group, initially observed back in 2023 but becoming much more active since the launch of the U.S. Epic Fury military operation. The group has “ramped up activity on its Telegram site,” the Sophos CTU researchers said, “encouraging pro-Iran hackers to pursue cyberattacks and retaliation.”
“Handala is the same group that wiped 200,000 devices at Stryker on March 11, exfiltrating 50TB of data by abusing Microsoft Intune,” Michael Bell, CEO at Suzu Labs, confirmed. Following this, the Department of Justice announced on March 19 it had seized Handala domains “as part of an ongoing effort to disrupt hacking and transnational repression schemes conducted by the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security.”
It is this, Bell said, that is thought to have triggered the attack on Patel’s Gmail email account. “This was retaliation, and they picked the softest target they could find,” Bell said, adding that this is the second time that his personal accounts have been attacked, and following this, apparently, no one locked it down. “That’s not a sophisticated attack,” Bell concluded, “that’s an OPSEC failure.” (Read more from “FBI Confirms $10 Million Reward After Iran Hacks Kash Patel’s Gmail” HERE)
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What’s inside Kash Patel’s hacked email? US FBI director’s rum selfies, ‘Spiderkash’ alias, and over 300 leaked messages go public
By Mamta Raut. The personal email account of US FBI director Kash Patel has been hacked, with private photos, messages, and documents now circulating online in a dramatic breach that’s raising fresh alarms about cybersecurity at the highest levels. The attack, claimed by the shadowy Handala Hack Team, has exposed what appears to be years of Patel’s personal digital footprint, turning a top US law enforcement official into the latest high-profile cyber victim. . .
The leak didn’t stop at photos. Online investigators and cyber researchers began digging into the data, claiming links to multiple email aliases, including “Spiderkash” and “Patelkpp.” Some reports even suggested connections to app profiles and digital activity trails, though many of these claims remain unverified.
(Read more from “What’s inside Kash Patel’s hacked email? US FBI director’s rum selfies, ‘Spiderkash’ alias, and over 300 leaked messages go public” HERE)
Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr
