The ShinyHunters group claimed to have hacked the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and stolen data on a large number of current and former employees of the agency. The FBI confirmed that it is investigating reports of unauthorised activity.
WHAT THE HACKERS CLAIMED
According to Reuters, ShinyHunters representatives reported an attack on 22 September. The group claims that it allegedly obtained information on "almost all FBI agents", as well as on people who had applied for jobs at the agency.
To back up their claim, the hackers handed over information on approximately 5,000 employees and a screenshot which they say shows a defaced FBI careers website. Reuters was unable to independently verify the authenticity of the screenshot.
At the same time, the FBIJobs.gov website did indeed experience disruptions: a message appeared on the site saying the portal for special agent applicants was unavailable.
WHAT DATA WAS IN THE PUBLISHED SAMPLE
As the publication reported, the 5,000-entry table contains employees' names, home addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, social security numbers and emergency contact details. Some records also list employees' relatives.
In addition, Reuters found information about work on cases related to China, Russia, cyber threats, drug trafficking, surveillance and intelligence activities. The published table, according to the hackers, represents only a small part of the data array they claim to have stolen.
WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT THE FBI'S RESPONSE
The FBI said it is aware of reports of unauthorised activity affecting the website and is conducting an investigation. At the same time, agency representatives did not immediately respond to the agency's requests for comment.
The FBI is also working with third-party vendors that support the operation of the portal.
WHY THE GROUP CLAIMED RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ATTACK
The group said it attacked the agency in response to warnings about ShinyHunters' methods published by the FBI in May 2026. In those materials, the bureau described the group's activities and recommended that organisations not comply with the attackers' demands.
ShinyHunters demanded that the FBI correct or delete certain provisions of the May notice.