GoKawiilFBI investigates ShinyHunters' claim of stealing employee data via jobs site bug
Hacker group ShinyHunters claims to have exploited an unknown vulnerability on FBIJobs.gov, taking the site offline and posting a banner declaring it 'seized.' The group told The New York Times it stole two to three terabytes of data including names, addresses, phone numbers, spouse names and medical information of current and former FBI employees and applicants, though none has been leaked yet.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The FBI is now verifying whether the breach claims are genuine, and the outcome could determine whether sensitive personnel data—including details on counter-intelligence assignments—was actually exposed. ShinyHunters says its goal was to pressure the FBI into retracting a public advisory that characterized the group's tactics, rather than to extort money, which if true would mark an unusual motive for such an attack. Bloomberg notes the leaked sample could theoretically be used to target agents, underscoring the stakes even before authenticity is confirmed.
- ShinyHunters claims to have breached FBIJobs.gov and stolen 2-3 terabytes of personnel data.
- The group says its aim was to force removal of an FBI advisory about its tactics, not to extort money.
- No data has been leaked publicly yet, and the FBI is investigating whether the claims are legitimate.
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Published there as: “FBI rushes to investigate if ShinyHunters hack of thousands of employees is real”
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