Iran-linked hacktivist group Handala Hack Team breached the personal Gmail account of FBI Director Kash Patel and leaked a cache of personal photos and older emails from 2010 and 2019. The FBI and U.S. Department of Justice confirmed the compromise but stressed that the data is historical and contains no government information, adding that mitigation steps have been taken. Handala framed the leak as retaliation for recent U.S. actions, including the FBI- and DOJ-led seizure of four (4) domains operated by Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) and a $10 million U.S. bounty on Handala members, as well as broader US-Iran tensions. The seized domains were used for hack-and-leak operations, doxxing Israeli military and government personnel, threatening dissidents and journalists, and amplifying MOIS information operations. Assessed as a persona for Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security, Handala has a broader record of disruptive and destructive activity, including wiping tens of thousands of devices at medical technology giant Stryker and targeting IT and service providers via compromised VPN accounts, RDP, and custom wiper malware. U.S. authorities warn that Handala and other MOIS actors also use social engineering and Telegram-based malware to spy on dissidents and opposition groups. The Patel incident underscores Handala’s focus on psychological impact, signaling, and high-profile targets rather than financial gain, and highlights the continued risk to Western officials and critical suppliers amid the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict.