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ShinyHunters hackers say they breached FBI

Thehindu • September 23, 2026

ShinyHunters said ‌in a statement posted to ‌its dark-web site and during an online chat ⁠with Reuters that it targeted the FBI in response to a May 2026 agency announcement that detailed ShinyHunters’ methods and ‌advised targets not to pay

Updated - September 23, 2026 12:39 pm IST - WASHINGTON

A message posted to the FBI job site said ‌that the site and the FBI “Special Agent Applicant Portal” were both “currently unavailable” | Photo Credit: AP

The digital extortion group known as “ShinyHunters” says it has breached ⁠the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the U.S. and claims to have stolen data on thousands of FBI employees.

The ‌bureau did not immediately to messages seeking on Tuesday (September 22, 2026).

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This article is one source in a clustered incident — the cluster page carries the summary, timeline and every other outlet covering it.

ShinyHunters Claims Major Data Breach of FBI Systems The hacking group ShinyHunters has claimed responsibility for breaching FBI systems, asserting that they stole sensitive data on nearly all FBI employees and job applicants. The attack reportedly exploited a zero-day vulnerability in Oracle's PeopleSoft, allowing remote code execution. ShinyHunters claims to have obtained between 2TB and 3TB of data, including personally identifiable information (PII) and protected health information (PHI). The group has demanded the FBI retract a public advisory that detailed their tactics, asserting that their actions are not financially motivated. The FBI has acknowledged the claims and is currently investigating the incident. Affected systems include the FBI's job application portal, which was taken offline following the breach. Reports indicate that the hackers shared a screenshot of a defaced FBI jobs website as proof of their claims. 100 sources 71

ShinyHunters hackers say they breached FBI

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Extracted Entities

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Companies (1)