Iran-Linked Group That Hacked Kash Patel's Electronic mail Threatens World Cup With Hijacked FBI Drones – Decrypt

An Iran-linked hacking group that beforehand made headlines for claiming it hacked FBI Director Kash Patel’s e mail account has threatened safety on the 2026 FIFA World Cup—and mentioned it hacked FBI surveillance drones getting used round match venues.

In response to a report by CBS Information on Friday, the SITE Intelligence Group, which screens extremist organizations and on-line risk exercise, reported that Handala claimed it had accessed information collected by drones allegedly operated by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation.

In an announcement attributed to the group, Handala obtained entry to “each picture and each suspect” captured by the drones, which they mentioned embody facial recognition and license plate scanning know-how. This footage, the group claimed, goes again “for months.”

Along with claiming entry to FBI drones, Handala additionally issued a risk directed at groups collaborating within the World Cup match.

“Higher tighten your World Cup safety, we do not like a few of these groups in any respect,” the group reportedly mentioned. “[First-person view drones] are all over the place; you by no means know when one may find yourself proper in your staff’s bus.”

The declare comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran following the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran earlier this yr. In response to the U.S. Division of Justice, Handala is linked to Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Safety and has been related to information theft, wiper malware, and on-line affect campaigns that use leaked information, threats, and media consideration to stress and intimidate targets.

The information of Handala’s threats comes as regulation enforcement businesses warn that scammers are concentrating on World Cup followers as the worldwide soccer match will get underway throughout North America.

The claims haven’t been independently verified. SITE disputed a number of the materials launched by Handala, saying one video offered as proof of the breach was really produced in December 2024 by a software program firm selling know-how utilized by a U.S. police division to survey twister injury.

In March, the group claimed it hacked the e-mail account of FBI Director Kash Patel and revealed private images and different materials on-line. Extra not too long ago, the group claimed duty for a breach of California Water Service, releasing roughly 5 gigabytes of allegedly stolen buyer and inside firm information.

The announcement comes because the State Division’s Rewards for Justice program continues to supply as much as $10 million for data on international government-directed hackers concerned in cyberattacks in opposition to U.S. crucial infrastructure.