WASHINGTON — An Iran-linked hacker group has claimed it breached FBI surveillance drones being used to support security operations around the 2026 FIFA World Cup, prompting renewed concerns about cybersecurity and event security, although U.S. authorities have not confirmed the alleged intrusion.
The claim emerged on Friday after the SITE Intelligence Group, a private organization that monitors extremist and online threat activity, published a statement attributed to the hacker group Handala. According to SITE, the group said it had access “for months” to images and data collected by first-person-view drones used by the FBI in counterterrorism operations. Reports by AFP and CBS News said the group also threatened World Cup-related targets.
“Better tighten your World Cup security,” the statement said, according to SITE. The message added that first-person-view drones “are everywhere,” while referencing team transportation associated with the tournament.
The FBI has deployed drones and other surveillance resources as part of a broader security effort for the World Cup, which opened this week across the United States, Canada and Mexico. FBI Director Kash Patel told Reuters on Thursday that drone threats, cyberattacks and terrorism were among the bureau’s primary security concerns during the tournament.
The authenticity of Handala’s claims remains unclear. SITE said some material released by the group as evidence appeared questionable. According to the monitoring organization, one video presented as proof of the alleged breach had previously been used in a 2024 promotional demonstration by a software company and was not linked to FBI operations.
Neither the FBI nor the U.S. Department of Justice publicly confirmed that any FBI drone systems had been compromised as of Friday. Details regarding the alleged breach, including whether operational systems were affected, remain unclear.
Handala has previously been linked by Western researchers and U.S. officials to Iranian cyber activity. In March, the group claimed responsibility for breaching the personal email account of FBI Director Kash Patel. A Justice Department official later confirmed that Patel’s personal account had been compromised, although officials said the exposed material did not involve classified government information.
The U.S. State Department has offered a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the identification of members of the group, according to public notices cited by multiple media organizations.
As of Friday, U.S. authorities had not announced any changes to World Cup security procedures in response to the latest claims. The alleged drone breach remains under scrutiny, and officials have not publicly verified the hackers’ assertions.
