FBI Director Kash Patel Personal Email Leak

On 28 March 2026 the Handala persona, which Western governments tie to Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security, published photos and documents said to come from Kash Patel's personal email, reportedly dating to between 2010 and 2019. Handala said Patel "will now find his name among the list of successfully hacked victims". The FBI confirmed he had been targeted, said the data was "historical in nature and involves no government information", and said steps had been taken to mitigate risks. In the same period Handala claimed a destructive wiper attack on Stryker.

Pro-Iranian hack-and-leak persona active since December 2023, assessed to be run by Iran's MOIS.

Aliases

• Handala
• Void Manticore
• Banished Kitten
• Red Sandstorm

Countries affected

• United States

Data types

• Personal photos
• Personal documents

Geopolitical consequences

Part of Iran's wider cyber retaliation during the 2026 Iran war, which began on 28 February 2026.

Publishing organisations

• The Hacker News
• FDD

Related events

• 2026-shinyhunters-fbijobs-breach-claim
• 2026-minnesota-water-systems-cyberattack

References

1. [1]The Hacker News: https://thehackernews.com/2026/03/iran-linked-hackers-breach-fbi.html
2. [2]Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handala_Hack_Team