The Iran-linked Hanzala Group said it gained access to the personal email account of FBI Director Kash Patel, Reuters reported.
The hackers posted on their website a series of personal photos of Patel: smoking a cigar, driving an old car, standing in front of a mirror holding a large bottle of rum and grimacing.
The US Department of Justice confirmed that Patel’s email had been hacked and that “the published materials appear to be authentic.”
Handala’s group describes itself as a “pro-Palestinian civil society group.” Reuters wrote that Western researchers believe that the Iranian government’s cyber intelligence units are operating under this cover.