FBI director Kash Patel’s personal email breached: Iran-linked hackers leak private photos, resume
A Justice Department official confirmed to Reuters that Kash Patel's emails were compromised but did not go into detail. The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Iran-linked hackers have publicly claimed the breach of FBI Director Kash Patel‘s personal email, publishing photographs of the director and his purported resume, news agency Reuters reported.
A Justice Department official confirmed that Patel’s inbox had been breached and said the material published online appeared authentic. The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The hackers did not immediately respond to messages, the report added.
On their website, the hacker group Handala Hack Team said Patel “will now find his name among the list of successfully hacked victims.”
The hackers published a series of personal photographs of Patel sniffing and smoking cigars, riding in an antique convertible, and making a face while taking a picture of himself in the mirror with a large bottle of rum, Reuters reported.
The website used by the Handala Hack Team, an Iran-linked hacker group which has claimed credit for the breach of FBI director Kash Patel’s personal email, is shown on a screen in Washington on March 27, 2026. (REUTERS)
Handala, which calls itself a group of pro-Palestinian vigilante hackers, is considered by Western researchers to be one of several personas used by Iranian government cyberintelligence units.
Handala recently claimed the hack of Michigan-based medical devices and services provider Stryker on March 11, claiming to have deleted a massive trove of company data. Indianexpress.com was not able to independently authenticate the Patel emails, but the personal Gmail address that Handala claims to have broken into matches the address linked to Patel in previous data breaches preserved by the dark web intelligence firm District 4 Labs.
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A sample of the material uploaded by the hackers and reviewed by Reuters appears to show a mix of personal and work correspondence dating between 2010 and 2019.
Cybersecurity — FBI Director Hacked
Iran-Linked Hackers Breach Kash Patel's Personal Email
The Handala Hack Team published personal photos and hundreds of emails from the FBI Director's Gmail account on March 27, 2025 — part of Iran's escalating cyber campaign against US officials.
What Happened
Patel's personal Gmail breached and published online
The pro-Iranian hacking group Handala claimed to have broken into FBI Director Kash Patel's personal Gmail account, publishing personal photographs and a sample of over 300 emails on their website on March 27, 2025. The FBI confirmed the breach, saying the data was "historical in nature and involves no government information." The personal Gmail address matched records from prior data breaches documented by intelligence firm District 4 Labs.
300+
Emails published online
2010
Earliest email in the leak
Dec '24
Patel warned of Iranian targeting
✉
300+ personal and work emails
A mix of personal and work correspondence dating between 2010 and 2019, relating largely to personal travel and business.
📷
Personal photographs
Photos of Patel smoking cigars, riding in an antique convertible, and taking a selfie with a large bottle of rum were published online.
✎
Work resume and personal documents
Handala also published what appeared to be a work resume and other personal documents from the account.
⚠
No government information involved
The FBI confirmed all leaked material was historical and personal in nature — no classified or government data was compromised.
"We have taken all necessary steps to mitigate potential risks associated with this activity. The information in question is historical in nature and involves no government information."
— Ben Williamson, FBI Spokesman, March 27, 2025
Background
A pro-Iranian cyber unit with a long and growing target list
Handala presents itself as a group of pro-Palestinian vigilante hackers but is considered by Western researchers to be one of several personas used by Iranian government cyberintelligence units. As the US-Israeli conflict has dragged on, Handala has become increasingly active and vocal about its operations against US and Israeli targets.
★
Stryker hack — March 11, 2025
Claimed credit for disrupting systems at Stryker, a Michigan-based medical technology company, saying the attack was in retaliation for suspected US strikes that killed Iranian schoolchildren.
◆
Lockheed Martin employee data — March 26, 2025
Published personal data of dozens of Lockheed Martin employees stationed in the Middle East. Lockheed confirmed it was aware and had mitigation procedures in place.
⚖
DOJ seized 4 Handala web domains
The US Justice Department announced it had seized four web domains tied to Iranian hacking schemes, specifically singling out Handala in the announcement.
$
$10 million reward on offer
The Trump administration is offering up to $10 million for information leading to the identification of Handala group members.
Iran's Strategy
Embarrass US officials, "make them feel vulnerable"
Gil Messing, chief of staff at Israeli cybersecurity firm Check Point, said the hack-and-leak operation against Patel was part of Iran's deliberate strategy to embarrass US officials. Iran-linked hackers initially kept a low profile after US and Israeli coordinated strikes against Iran, but have increasingly boasted of operations as the conflict has dragged on.
Precedent
Personal email hacks of senior US officials are not new
Hackers broke into Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta's personal Gmail ahead of the 2016 election, publishing data to WikiLeaks. In 2015, teenage hackers breached then-CIA Director John Brennan's personal AOL account. A separate Iran-linked group told Reuters last year it held 100GB of data from White House chief of staff Susie Wiles — though this has not been verified.
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The website used by the Handala Hack Team, an Iran-linked hacker group which has claimed credit for the breach of FBI director Kash Patel’s personal email, is shown on a screen in Washington on March 27, 2026. (REUTERS)
