Iran-linked hackers accessed FBI Director Kash Patel’s personal email account and posted material online, according to Reuters and statements from the FBI.
The FBI said Friday it was aware of malicious actors targeting Patel’s personal email and had taken steps to reduce potential risks. The bureau said the compromised material was historical in nature and did not include government information.
Reuters reported the leaked files appeared to include years-old personal and work-related correspondence, photos and documents taken from Patel’s personal account. Officials said there was no indication that FBI systems had been breached.
The hacker group Handala claimed responsibility and posted images that appeared to show Patel and a copy of a résumé listing a personal email address. Reuters said it could not independently verify every document released by the group.
The disclosure came days after the Justice Department announced on March 19 that it had seized four domains tied to an Iranian cyber operation linked to the Ministry of Intelligence and Security. DOJ said the seized domains were used to support psychological operations, publish stolen data and threaten dissidents, journalists and Israeli targets.
In that March 19 release, DOJ said one of the domains was used to claim responsibility for a March destructive malware attack against a U.S.-based multinational medical technologies firm and that Handala-linked infrastructure had posted the names and sensitive personal data of about 190 people associated with or employed by the Israeli military or government.
DOJ said the activity escalated after the U.S.-Iran conflict began on Feb. 28, 2026. The department said the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office and Cyber Division are investigating the broader Handala-linked activity.
The State Department’s Rewards for Justice program is offering up to $10 million for information leading to the identification of those behind certain foreign-government-directed cyber activity targeting U.S. critical infrastructure. DOJ cited that reward offer in the Handala case.
A global media for the latest news, entertainment, music fashion, and more.
