Hackers Claim FBI Data Breach, Steal Employee Information
The group ShinyHunters stated it accessed sensitive data on current and former FBI employees and applicants, partially verified by Reuters.
The digital extortion group ShinyHunters announced Tuesday that it had breached the Federal Bureau of Investigation, claiming to have stolen data on a significant number of current and former FBI employees and job applicants. The FBI has not yet responded to requests for comment.
ShinyHunters stated in a dark web post and an online chat with Reuters that its motive for targeting the FBI was in retaliation for a May agency announcement that detailed the group's methods and advised potential victims against paying ransoms. The hackers claimed to have obtained data on "almost ALL FBI Agents, and individuals who filed an application with the FBI for a job."
As evidence, the group provided a screenshot of what they claim is a compromised FBI job site and a sample of the stolen data. While Reuters could not independently confirm the authenticity of the screenshot, the FBI's job site and its Special Agent Applicant Portal were indeed unavailable on Tuesday, with a message indicating technical difficulties.
Reuters conducted a partial verification of the allegedly stolen FBI personnel information. By cross-referencing names, addresses, and Social Security numbers from a sample of the data with credit bureau records and previously leaked data, the news agency found that details in at least nine instances appeared to match. However, Reuters could not determine the origin of the data or confirm if it was exfiltrated from the FBI's internal systems as claimed by the hackers. Attempts to contact the individuals whose information was included in the sample were unsuccessful.
ShinyHunters is known as a prominent and outspoken hacking group. Recent alleged intrusions attributed to the group include a substantial data theft from Rockstar Games, the creator of "Grand Theft Auto," and a May incident that disrupted educational technology platform Canvas across numerous U.S. schools. Earlier this month, AI firm Anthropic reported that hackers linked to ShinyHunters attempted to utilize its tools. The group also recently engaged in a public dispute with another cybercrime entity, cl0p.