Iranian Hackers Breached Kash Patel’s Email—but Not the FBI’s

Handala’s 2nd claim, however—that it hacked the FBI—seems, for now, to beryllium fiction. All grounds points to Handala having breached Patel’s older, idiosyncratic Gmail account. Widely believed to beryllium a “hacktivist” beforehand for Iran’s quality bureau the MOIS, Handala suggested connected its website that the emails contained classified information, but the messages initially reviewed by WIRED didn’t look to beryllium related to immoderate authorities work. TechCrunch did find, however, that Patel appears to person forwarded immoderate emails from his Justice Department email relationship to his Gmail relationship successful 2014.

Handala, which cybersecurity experts person described to WIRED arsenic an “opportunistic” hacker radical whose cyberattacks and breaches are often calculated much for their propaganda worth than their tactical impacts, has nevertheless made the astir of Patel’s embarrassing breach. “To the full world, we declare: the FBI is conscionable a name, and down this name, determination is nary existent security,” the radical wrote successful its statement. “If your manager tin beryllium compromised this easily, what bash you expect from your lower-level employees?”

Handala Hackers Put $50 Million Bounty connected Trump and Netanyahu’s Heads

For further grounds of Handala’s bombastic rhetoric, look nary further than different station connected its website earlier this week (we’re intentionally not linking to it) that offered a $50 cardinal bounty to anyone who could “eliminate” US president Donald Trump and Israeli premier curate Benjamin Netanyahu. “This important prize volition beryllium awarded, straight and securely, to immoderate idiosyncratic oregon radical bold capable to amusement existent enactment against tyranny,” the hackers’ connection read, on with an invitation to immoderate would-be assassins to scope retired via the encrypted messaging app Session. “All our connection and outgo channels utilize the latest encryption and anonymization technologies, your information and confidentiality are afloat guaranteed.”

That bounty, Handala explained, was posted successful reply to a connection astir Handala published connected the US Department of Justice website past week that offered $10 cardinal for accusation starring to the individuality oregon determination of anyone who carries retired “malicious cyber activities against US captious infrastructure” connected behalf of a overseas government.

“Our connection is clear: If you genuinely person the volition and the power, travel and find us!” Handala wrote successful its response. “We fearfulness nary situation and are prepared to respond to each onslaught with adjacent greater force.”

In yet different station connected its website this week, Handala besides claimed to person doxed 28 engineers astatine subject contractor Lockheed Martin moving successful Israel and threatened them with idiosyncratic harm if they didn’t permission the state wrong 48 hours. When WIRED tried calling the telephone numbers included successful Handala’s leaked data, however, astir of them didn’t work.

4 Years in, Apple’s Pegasus-Killer Remains Undefeated, Company Says

Apple says nary instrumentality with its Lockdown Mode information diagnostic enabled has ever been successfully compromised by mercenary spyware successful the astir 4 years since its launch. Amnesty International’s information laboratory head, Donncha Ó Cearbhaill, besides says his squad has seen nary grounds of a palmy onslaught against a Lockdown Mode–enabled iPhone. And Citizen Lab, which has documented respective palmy spyware attacks against iPhones, says nary impact a Lockdown Mode bypass, portion successful 2 cases its researchers recovered the diagnostic actively blocked attacks against NSO Group’s Pegasus and Intellexa’s Predator. Google researchers, meanwhile, recovered 1 spyware strain that simply abandons corruption attempts erstwhile it detects the diagnostic is enabled.

Lockdown Mode works by disabling commonly exploited iPhone features, specified arsenic astir connection attachment types and features similar links and nexus previews. Incoming FaceTime calls are blocked unless the idiosyncratic has antecedently called that idiosyncratic wrong the past 30 days. When the iPhone is locked, it blocks connections with computers and accessories. The instrumentality volition not automatically articulation nonsecure Wi-Fi networks, and 2G and 3G enactment is disabled. Apple has besides doubled bounties for researchers who observe immoderate Lockdown Mode bypass, with payouts up to $2 million.