Cyber criminals linked to Iran have accessed FBI Director Kash Patel’s personal email account, sources familiar with the matter told CBS News Friday.
The FBI said in a statement that it is “aware of malicious actors targeting” Patel’s personal email information and said it has “taken all necessary steps to mitigate potential risks associated with this activity.”
It also said that the information in question “is historical in nature and involves no government information.”
The breach was first reported by Reuters, which said the hacker group Handala HackTeam took credit for the attack and posted images online of the FBI director and his purported resume.
The breach comes not long after the Justice Department earlier this month seized four domains connected to the Handala group, 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.
The domain used to carry out the hack against Patel was registered the same day the Justice Department announced it had seized the four domains associated with the group, on March 19.
The FBI said in its statement that the State Department has offered a $10 million reward for information leading to the identification of the Handala Hack Team.
After the start of the war in Iran, the Justice Department said Handala was responsible for a number of cyber attacks, including a malware attack against a U.S.-based multinational medical technologies firm. In another cyber incident, the department alleged that Handala Group had posted the names and sensitive other data from approximately 190 individuals associated with or employed by the Israeli Defense Force or Israeli government.
In an online post, the Handala Group appeared to announce its successful attack against Patel’s email. In the post, it referenced the seizure of its domains by the U.S. government and said, “We decided to respond to this ridiculous show in a way that will be remembered forever.”
“Kash Patel, the current head of the FBI, who once saw his name displayed with pride on the agency’s headquarters, will now find his name among the list of successfully hacked victims. The so-called “impenetrable” systems of the FBI were brought to their knees within hours by our team,” the group added.
The post included photos of Patel as well as a copy of what appears to be his resume, which includes his personal email account.
