March 27, 2026 (New York time) — Kash Patel, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), has become the target of a serious cyberattack in which his personal emails were compromised and data was leaked by hackers with ties to Iran.
According to Reuters, a hacking group calling itself the Handala Hack Team claimed to have breached Mr. Patel's personal inbox and published a portion of the data, including photos and internal documents.
A US Department of Justice official confirmed the breach occurred and stated that the leaked documents "appear to be authentic," though the full extent of the damage has not yet been disclosed.
The leaked data reportedly includes both personal and professional content spanning the period from 2010 to 2019.
Western analysts identify the Handala group as being linked to Iranian cyber intelligence operations, often using the guise of "pro-Palestinian hackers" to carry out cyberattack campaigns.
The FBI has not yet issued an official response, while US authorities are currently assessing the scope of the impact and the risk to national security.
The incident takes place amid escalating tensions between the US and Iran, with parallel military and diplomatic activities making the threat of cyber warfare an increasingly prominent front.
