An Iran-linked hacker group claimed Friday to have breached FBI drones and threatened to target the World Cup, the SITE Intelligence Group said.
SITE Intelligence Group said it published a statement from Handala saying the group had access "for months" to "every image and every suspect" captured by first-person view (FPV) drones used by the FBI and that the drones featured facial recognition and license plate screening deployed for counterterrorism.
Handala said in the statement quoted by SITE, "Better tighten your World Cup security, we don't like some of those teams at all. Don't forget: FPVs are everywhere; you never know when one might end up right in your team's bus," and the tournament kicked off on Thursday.
The FBI is deploying drones around World Cup stadiums to protect against unauthorized aircraft, and drone flights will be banned over U.S. stadiums hosting matches as well as over fan events related to the tournament.
SITE said Handala published photos and footage it said were taken from the hacked drones, but SITE disputed those claims and said one video was produced by a software platform in Dec. 2024 to promote a U.S. police department's use of its technology for surveying tornado damage; SITE also said Handala claimed in March to have hacked the email account of FBI Director Kash Patel and published personal photos and other material online.
The State Department has offered a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the identification of members of the group, and the Justice Department has warned of the potential for cyberattacks by Iranian actors following U.S.-Israeli strikes on Tehran in February that triggered the Middle East War.