On Monday, U.S. service members in the Middle East were sent alarming text messages from a group associated with Iranian cyber activities, identified as Handala Hack. The messages claimed that the recipients were under constant surveillance and threatened them with imminent attacks using drones and missiles.
Two service members stationed in Bahrain received identical warnings via WhatsApp. The messages ominously stated, “Your identities are fully known to our missile units,” and urged them to “say your final goodbyes.” The communications were linked to a Bahraini phone number associated with a legitimate business.
In a related development, Handala Hack claimed to have disclosed the personal information of 2,379 U.S. Marines located in the Persian Gulf on its public Telegram channel. This group has a history of cyberattacks against U.S. and Israeli entities, including a recent breach involving the medical technology firm Stryker and an infiltration of FBI Director Kash Patel’s email.
The Department of Justice has characterized Handala as a front for Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security, having recently seized four web domains linked to the group. U.S. Central Command has directed inquiries to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service for further information.