Iran-Linked Hackers Breach FBI Director’s Personal Email, Hit Stryker With Wiper Attack
Mar 28, 2026
Hacktivism / Critical Infrastructure
Threat actors with ties to Iran successfully broke into the personal email account of Kash Patel, the director of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and leaked a cache of photos and other documents to the internet. Handala Hack Team , which carried out the breach, said on its website that Patel "will now find his name among the list of successfully hacked victims." In a statement shared with Reuters, the FBI confirmed Patel's emails had been targeted, and noted necessary steps have been taken to "mitigate potential risks associated with this activity." The agency also said the published data was "historical in nature and involves no government information." The leak includes emails from 2010 and 2019 allegedly sent by Patel. Handala Hack is assessed to be a pro-Iranian, pro-Palestinian hacktivist persona adopted by Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security ( MOIS ). It's tracked by the cybersecurity community under the m...