ShinyHunters says it stole thousands of records from the FBI's jobs portal, alleging information on nearly all agents and job applicants. The group demanded removal of a May advisory that accused it of harassment and extortion. The FBI says it is "actively and aggressively investigating" and working with third-party providers; the bureau has not confirmed the authenticity or full scope of the data. The New York Times received a sample that cross-checks indicate may be legitimate.
ShinyHunters Claim Massive Theft From FBIJobs.gov — Thousands Of Agents And Applicants Allegedly Exposed
FBI Director Kash Patel is shown Sept. 15 during a Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on the FBI at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. A criminal hacking group claims that it breached the agency's job portal and stole thousands of sensitive employee files. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI
A hacking collective calling itself ShinyHunters says it stole thousands of sensitive records from the FBI's public jobs portal, claiming data on "almost ALL FBI agents and individuals who filed an application with the FBI for a job." The FBIJobs.gov site remained offline while the agency investigated.
What ShinyHunters Says
In a public post the group declared,
"We have compromised the FBI."The message was directed at FBI Director Kash Patel and the bureau's cybersecurity chief, Brett Leatherman. ShinyHunters said the breached data include names, addresses, phone numbers, spouse names, medical details and other personal information, and that the intrusion targeted data held by FBIJobs.gov.
FBI Response
The FBI issued a brief statement saying it is aware of the claims and "actively and aggressively investigating this matter and working closely with those third-party providers that support FBIJobs.gov to mitigate any and all risk." The bureau has not publicly confirmed the authenticity or full scope of any leaked files.
Why the Group Says It Acted
ShinyHunters told the FBI it carried out the alleged breach in response to a May advisory in which the bureau named the group and warned that it had harassed victims or their family members and engaged in extortion attempts. The group said it was "severely offended" by the advisory and demanded that the FBI "correct or simply remove" the notice, giving the agency one week to comply without specifying what it would do otherwise.
Third-Party Reporting
The New York Times reported that ShinyHunters provided a sample of the alleged data to the newspaper and other outlets. The Times said cross-referencing parts of that sample with publicly available records suggested the materials were "most likely legitimate." Nevertheless, the FBI has not confirmed any specific files or the breadth of a breach.
Ongoing Investigation
At this stage, the bureau's investigation is ongoing and it is coordinating with third-party providers that support its recruitment portal. Officials have not disclosed whether litigation, law enforcement countermeasures or notifications to affected individuals will follow.
Note: Claims by hacking groups should be treated cautiously until verified by official sources. The investigation may change the known facts.
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