Washington, Dec 4 (Agency) Kashyap “Kash” Patel, nominated as the next Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) by US President-elect Donald Trump, has become a target of a hacker attack, allegedly originating from Iran, CNN has reported, citing sources familiar with the matter. The FBI recently informed Patel that he had been targeted as part of an Iranian hacker attack, sources said, adding that hackers may have gained access to some of Patel’s communications.
“Kash Patel was a key part of the first Trump administration’s efforts against the terrorist Iranian regime and will implement President Trump’s policies to protect America from adversaries as the FBI Director,” the spokesperson for the Trump transition team, Alex Pfeiffer, told the broadcaster without commenting specifically on the attack. In early November, the broadcaster reported that another member of Trump’s inner circle, attorney Todd Blanche, was notified by the bureau that his phone had been tapped by Chinese hackers. Prior to that, in August, another of Trump’s attorneys, Lindsey Halligan, was reportedly hacked by an Iranian group.