Hacking group ShinyHunters claims FBI breach, says it holds data on employees and applicants

ShinyHunters, the hacking group that breached Rockstar Games earlier this year, has claimed it successfully hacked the US Federal Bureau of Investigations and obtained data on FBI employees and applicants.

A representative told 404 Media the group now holds information on "all" FBI employees and applicants. A sample provided to the outlet contained personal data on 5,000 FBI employees, including addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, and in some cases details on spouses.

Reuters partially verified the leaked information by cross-referencing details against social security numbers, credit bureau records, and previously breached data, including information on FBI director Kash Patel.

The FBI jobs website was defaced with a message reading "this site has been seized by ShinyHunters," mimicking messages seen on cybercriminal pages after FBI raids. The site currently shows a maintenance notice.

An FBI spokesperson told 404 Media: "The FBI is aware of claims regarding unauthorized activity affecting FBIjobs.gov and is currently investigating."

ShinyHunters claimed the attack was not financially motivated, describing their planned actions as "coercion" rather than extortion. The group said the breach was retaliation for an FBI report alleging ShinyHunters exaggerates its access to data to prompt victims into paying ransoms, and uses harassment, threatening communications, and swatting.

A post on the ShinyHunters website disputed the FBI's allegations and gave the agency one week to correct or remove the information, with unclear implications for what follows.