Cybercriminal group ShinyHunters claims it has breached the FBI and stolen sensitive information belonging to thousands of agents and job applicants.
The group reportedly made the claim on its dark web leak site, saying it obtained data linked to “almost all FBI agents” as well as people who had applied for jobs with the agency. The alleged stolen information includes names, home addresses and phone numbers of FBI agents and their spouses.
According to reports, the attackers allegedly gained access through an Oracle PeopleSoft server used for human resources and recruitment. They then reportedly moved into an Amazon-hosted government cloud environment containing information about FBI agents and applicants.
ShinyHunters claims it stole terabytes of data but has not explained what it plans to do with the information. The group says the attack was not financially motivated and is instead demanding that the FBI remove a report it claims contains false allegations about the group.
The alleged stolen information could create serious security concerns if verified. Personal details about FBI employees and their families could potentially be used for targeted attacks, harassment, social engineering or attempts to pressure individuals into cooperating with foreign intelligence services.
The FBI’s jobs website was also reportedly disrupted and displayed a maintenance message, while the special agent application portal was said to be unavailable.
The FBI had not publicly confirmed the alleged breach at the time of reporting. ShinyHunters also did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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If confirmed, the incident would mark another reported security breach involving FBI systems this year, following an earlier incident involving systems used to manage wiretaps and foreign intelligence warrants.
