FBI has arrested a Canadian cybersecurity expert. A New York Times report, citing people familiar with the matter, says the FBI arrested Edward Dubrovsky in Pennsylvania. He is suspected of helping carry out a cyberattack that exposed sensitive information about thousands of FBI employees. According to his LinkedIn profile, Dubrovsky specialises in negotiating ransom payments with cybercriminals. The arrest is part of the bureau’s efforts to pursue members of the ShinyHunters hacking group, which claimed responsibility for stealing personal information from the FBI’s jobs portal.FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the arrest and said the agency would continue working with international partners to disrupt the group and its associates. He said: “We will continue to work closely with our partners to disrupt what’s left of the ShinyHunters group and their associates, no matter where they operate.”Dubrovsky faces a conspiracy-to-commit-extortion charge, according to federal court records in Philadelphia, while the details of the charges remain under seal in Texas. He is expected to be transported to Texas to face the charges.
FBI arrests Canadian cybersecurity expert over ShinyHunters attack
The report claimed that the FBI considers Dubrovsky, who has worked with companies affected by cyberattacks, a primary co-conspirator in the attack on FBI data, citing people familiar with the matter. He recently published a book titled Cyber Extortion Strategic Response.The FBI has been investigating the breach after ShinyHunters claimed it had stolen information about agency personnel from its jobs portal. The group threatened further consequences if the bureau withdrew an advisory warning the public about its cyberattacks, although it later backed away from that threat.
FBI employee data exposed in cyberattack
The stolen information reportedly included home addresses, Social Security numbers, sensitive job assignments and details about employees’ family members. Following the breach, the FBI told its workforce that it was operating under the assumption that all employees had been affected.Brett Leatherman, assistant director of the FBI’s cyber division, said an internal review traced the incident to a security failure involving a third-party platform. According to the bureau, a contractor had failed to implement a security patch specifically issued to protect the system. Reuters previously reported that the contractor worked for Accenture.Leatherman said the FBI had removed the contractor and taken steps to reduce further risks. He also confirmed that investigators had made multiple arrests as part of the investigation.
ShinyHunters faces international law enforcement action
The arrest follows other international efforts to investigate the hacking group. Last month, authorities in the Netherlands arrested a 24-year-old suspected of affiliation with ShinyHunters, though the group denied knowing him.Security researchers describe ShinyHunters as a loose network of English-speaking hackers operating across several countries. The group has targeted organisations through third-party vendors and cloud-based platforms, often seeking payments in exchange for promises not to release stolen information.Leatherman said the group is believed to have breached more than 140 organisations and extorted $70 million since last year.
