Iran-linked hackers have breached the personal email account of Kash Patel, publishing a cache of photographs and emails online, according to Reuters.
The group, calling itself Handala Hack Team, claimed responsibility and said Patel had joined its list of “successfully hacked victims.”
The FBI confirmed the breach, but downplayed its severity, stating authorities had taken “all necessary steps” to mitigate risks, adding that the compromised material was “historical in nature and involves no government information.”
The leaked files show a mix of personal and work-related correspondence, reportedly spanning between 2010 and 2019, alongside personal photographs of Patel.
Handala presents itself as a pro-Palestinian hacktivist group, but Western cybersecurity researchers consider it one of several fronts used by Iranian cyberintelligence units.
Cybersecurity experts say the Patel leak fits into a geopolitical strategy, intended to embarrass US officials and “make them feel vulnerable.”
