WASHINGTON — The FBI said Wednesday it was investigating a criminal hacking group’s claims that it had stolen “very sensitive data” belonging to thousands of agents and applicants and that it had compromised the bureau’s jobs website.
We hold very sensitive data on almost ALL FBI Agents and individuals who filed an application with the FBI for a job,” said the ShinyHunters message, which was directed to FBI Director Kash Patel and Brett Leatherman, the assistant director in charge of the bureau’s cyber division. In its message, ShinyHunters said it would give the bureau one week to correct or remove what it says are false allegations contained in an FBI public advisory from May that described the organization as a “cyber criminal group specializing in large-scale data breaches and extortion. ShinyHunters said in its message to the FBI that it was “offended” by those characterizations and demanded that the FBI remove those claims. This PSA is NOT financially motivated,” the hacking group’s message said.
“We have compromised the FBI. It did not say what would happen if the FBI did not do so within a week. “This is not a ransom, coercion, or extortion. Your federal policies do not apply here. The FBI, the nation’s premier federal law enforcement agency, has been a common hacking target.
FBI Investigates Potential Cyber Breach of Jobs Portal
The FBI is currently investigating a claim from a cyber-criminal group regarding a potential compromise of the FBIJobs.gov portal. In a recent statement, the Bureau acknowledged awareness of the situation and emphasized that the specific point of breach remains undetermined. They are collaborating closely with third-party providers associated with the portal to address and mitigate any potential risks involved.
The FBI characterized the information that may have been compromised as ‘historical in nature’ and clarified that it does not involve any sensitive government data or current employee information.
