Hackers claim to have breached FBI, stolen employee data

The hacking group ShinyHunters has claimed it breached the FBI's careers website and stole data belonging to current and former employees. The FBI confirmed it is investigating unauthorized activity connected to the site.

In a statement posted on a dark web site and in an online chat with Reuters, ShinyHunters said the attack was in retaliation for an FBI notice published in May 2026 that detailed the group's methods and advised victims not to pay ransoms. The hackers claim to have stolen data on "almost all FBI agents and people who applied to work at the FBI."

As evidence, the group presented what it said was a screenshot of a defaced FBI employee search page, along with information on roughly 5,000 agents it claims was part of the larger stolen dataset. Reuters could not verify the screenshot's authenticity but noted that the FBI's applicant website and its Special Agent Applicant Portal did appear to have suffered recent outages — the bureau itself said on September 22 that the site and portal were currently unavailable.

The sample data shared by ShinyHunters includes agents' names, home addresses, Social Security numbers, job titles, and in some cases family members' names. Reuters partially verified the data's authenticity by cross-checking it, including Social Security numbers, against credit bureau records and previously leaked information held by District 4 Labs, a dark web data analysis firm. In at least ten cases, including records for FBI Director Kash Patel, the information appeared to match, and a source familiar with the matter said job titles also lined up in at least some instances. Reuters could not determine the data's origin or confirm it was actually taken from FBI internal systems.

Former FBI official Cynthia Kaiser warned that such breaches are extremely dangerous, since attackers can use the data to expose and pressure people investigating them. She noted that a 2016 leak is still being used to target FBI employees today, saying stolen information "gets used forever."

ShinyHunters is considered one of the world's most attention-seeking hacking groups. Its recent activity reportedly includes the theft of business records from Grand Theft Auto developer Rockstar Games and a May attack on the Canvas education platform that disrupted US schools. Earlier this month, AI company Anthropic said it had identified hackers linked to ShinyHunters attempting to misuse its tools. On September 20, the group told Reuters it had launched a feud with rival cybercrime group cl0p.