From TechCrunch · Zack Whittaker · · 1m 40s
Hackers claim FBI breach, steal thousands of agents' data
ShinyHunters says it stole sensitive information on FBI agents and job applicants, posing a major counterintelligence risk.
In brief
ShinyHunters says it stole sensitive information on FBI agents and job applicants, posing a major counterintelligence risk. A major cybercriminal group claims to have breached FBI systems and stolen data on thousands of agents and applicants, which could be used for extortion or coercion by foreign adversaries…
Hackers claim major FBI breach
ShinyHunters, a prolific cybercriminal group, says it breached the FBI and stole sensitive data on thousands of agents and job applicants. The group posted the claim on its dark web leak site.
What data was stolen
The hackers claim to have taken terabytes of data including names, home addresses, and phone numbers of FBI agents, their spouses, and job applicants. The stolen information could enable foreign spies to coerce agents.
How they got in
ShinyHunters breached an Oracle PeopleSoft server used for storing job applicants' information, then pivoted to an Amazon-hosted government cloud containing agents' and applicants' data. They also defaced the FBI's jobs website.
Hackers' unusual demand
ShinyHunters says the breach is not financially motivated and is demanding the FBI remove a report containing false allegations about the group. They did not specify what they would do with the data if ignored.
“"not financially motivated"”
Second FBI breach this year
This is the second known FBI system breach in 2026. Earlier, unidentified hackers broke into systems managing wiretaps and foreign intelligence warrants. FBI Director Kash Patel's personal email was also hacked by an Iran-backed group.
FBI confirms investigation
An FBI spokesperson confirmed the agency is investigating unauthorized activity affecting FBIjobs.gov. The special agent applicant portal was down at the time of the report.
The main idea
A major cybercriminal group claims to have breached FBI systems and stolen data on thousands of agents and applicants, which could be used for extortion or coercion by foreign adversaries.
