FBI Director Kash Patel’s Clothing Brand Website Taken Offline After Malware Hack

The merchandise website for FBI Director Kash Patel’s clothing brand, Based Apparel, was taken offline on Friday, May 22, 2026, following reports that hackers had hijacked it to infect visitors with malware.

The incident was first reported by Straight Arrow News. On Thursday, an X user named Debbie posted that the Based Apparel website appeared to contain malware — specifically an infostealer, a type of malicious software designed to steal victims’ credentials and passwords. A security researcher subsequently analyzed the malware.

As of the time of reporting, the Based Apparel website remained offline. TechCrunch attempted to reach the brand for comment via a Gmail address previously associated with Patel, but received no response.

The hack was not an isolated security incident for businesses associated with prominent political figures that week. Also on Friday, the maker of Trump Mobile — President Trump’s cellphone provider — confirmed that customers’ personal information had been left exposed online. The exposed data included names, email addresses, mailing addresses, phone numbers, and order identifiers. That confirmation followed a researcher alerting two YouTubers who had purchased Trump Mobile phones that their personal data was accessible on the internet.

The two incidents together suggest a difficult week for cybersecurity among MAGA-affiliated business ventures, though the cause and any connection between the events is not established by available reporting.