Key facts
- An FBI official warned the hacking group ShinyHunters that law enforcement knows how to find them.
- The warning followed the arrest of a suspected member of ShinyHunters by the FBI and Dutch National Police.
- ShinyHunters claimed to have stolen two to three terabytes of data from the FBI's jobs website.
- The group claimed the data included job assignments, addresses, and social security numbers of FBI employees.
- ShinyHunters stated they do not intend to release the stolen data but cannot guarantee what happens to data already shared.
- FBI Assistant Director Brett Leatherman issued the public warning in a video.
An FBI official has issued an unusually public warning to the hacking group ShinyHunters, stating that law enforcement knows how to find them. The address, delivered in a video by FBI Cyber Division Assistant Director Brett Leatherman, follows the arrest of a suspected member of the group by the FBI and Dutch National Police earlier this month. ShinyHunters had claimed responsibility for a significant data breach affecting the FBI's jobs website, stating they had stolen two to three terabytes of data related to FBI personnel and job applicants. The group also claimed the stolen information included job assignments, addresses, and social security numbers. In a statement, FBI Director Kash Patel referred to the arrested individual as 'one of the alleged leaders' and indicated that further leads were being pursued. A representative for ShinyHunters told CBC News that while they do not intend to publish the stolen data, they cannot guarantee what will happen to information that has already been shared. The group stated their actions were part of a campaign to 'combat disinformation' about their tactics, specifically taking issue with an FBI report that characterized their methods. They shared a sample of the breached data with journalists, which included personal information for thousands of FBI employees.