Hackers Allegedly Acquire Sensitive Data on FBI Personnel
WHO:
CBS News - The cybercriminal group is called ShinyHunters.
CBS News - FBI Director Kash Patel and FBI Cyber Division Assistant Director Brett Leatherman were addressed in a post by ShinyHunters.
Reuters - The data allegedly stolen includes information about FBI officials' job assignments on issues related to China, Russia, cartels, and cyber.
WHAT:
CBS News - ShinyHunters claimed in a post: "We have compromised the FBI."
CBS News - The FBI's careers page displayed a message stating: "Apply.fbijobs.gov and the Special Agent Applicant Portal are currently unavailable."
CBS News - The FBI stated: "While the point of breach is still undetermined... we are actively and aggressively investigating this matter."
CBS News - ShinyHunters provided a deadline of one week to the FBI to "correct or remove" portions of an earlier FLASH report.
CBS News - ShinyHunters claimed to possess sensitive information concerning nearly all FBI agents, as well as people who applied for FBI jobs.
CBS News - The hackers listed criminal justice, human resources, and Medlink systems among the services that were affected.
CBS News - Portions of data supplied by the hackers to media outlets correspond to real FBI or Justice Department personnel, though it has not been established that the records came from FBI systems.
CBS News - The FBI stated it was aware of claims regarding unauthorized activity affecting FBIjobs.gov and is currently investigating.
CBS News - The FBI confirmed that its recruiting arm uses PeopleSoft and AWS GovCloud.
CBS News - ShinyHunters claims to have stolen 2 to 3 terabytes of data related to FBI and Justice Department workers.
CBS News - The FBI's careers page displayed a "System Unavailable" message, indicating that the application portal was currently down.
CBS News - The FBI is investigating claims of unauthorized activity affecting FBIjobs.gov and the alleged impact on personally identifiable information (PII) of FBI employees.
CBS News - ShinyHunters provided a deadline of one week to the FBI to "correct or remove" portions of an earlier FLASH report.
WHERE:
CBS News - The breach allegedly involved the FBI and Justice Department personnel data.
CBS News - The FBI's careers page is located at apply.fbijobs.gov.
WHEN:
CBS News - The breach was claimed to have occurred on a Monday.
CBS News - ShinyHunters issued a deadline of one week from their post to the FBI.
CBS News - The FBI issued two warnings related to ShinyHunters-linked activity in May 2026.
WHY:
CBS News - ShinyHunters disputed the FBI's characterization of the group and its tactics, claiming that the FBI suggested the group sometimes exaggerates access and engages in harassment.
CBS News - ShinyHunters claimed that their actions were not financially motivated and disputed the FBI's characterization of their tactics.
HOW:
CBS News - Earlier this year, from May 25 through June 9, Google documented ShinyHunters exploiting a different Oracle PeopleSoft zero-day vulnerability.
CBS News - ShinyHunters claimed to have exploited a new vulnerability with Oracle PeopleSoft, a human resources management program.
CBS News - ShinyHunters claimed to have exploited a new vulnerability in Oracle PeopleSoft, a human resources management program.
CBS News - The FBI confirmed that its recruiting arm uses PeopleSoft and AWS GovCloud.
(UPDATED September 24, 2026 03:00 UTC)
In a startling development, the hacking group ShinyHunters has claimed responsibility for compromising the FBI, issuing a deadline of one week for the agency to address parts of an earlier FLASH report. Following this announcement, the FBI's careers page was temporarily taken offline, displaying a message indicating that both the application site and the Special Agent Applicant Portal are currently unavailable. The FBI has acknowledged the breach, stating that while the exact point of compromise remains unclear, they are actively and aggressively investigating the situation.
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(UPDATED September 24, 2026 01:22 UTC)
ShinyHunters has claimed to possess sensitive information about nearly all FBI agents and applicants for FBI jobs, alleging that they exploited a vulnerability in Oracle PeopleSoft, a human resources management program. The hackers listed several affected services, including criminal justice and human resources, and provided portions of data to media outlets that correspond to real personnel from the FBI or Justice Department, although it's unclear if the records originated from FBI systems. In response, the FBI acknowledged the claims of unauthorized activity affecting FBIjobs.gov and confirmed that its recruiting operations utilize PeopleSoft and AWS GovCloud, while also stating they are currently investigating the matter.
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(UPDATED September 23, 2026 21:59 UTC)
The cybercriminal group ShinyHunters claims to have stolen between two to three terabytes of data related to FBI and Justice Department personnel, including sensitive information about job assignments concerning China, Russia, and cyber threats. The FBI is currently investigating unauthorized activity affecting its careers page, which has been displaying a "System Unavailable" message, and has received a one-week deadline from ShinyHunters to address issues in an earlier FLASH report. ShinyHunters asserts that their actions are not financially motivated and that they exploited a vulnerability in Oracle PeopleSoft, a system used by the FBI for recruitment.