UPDATE: ShinyHunters may have breached the FBI’s online job recruitment site to steal data. “The FBI is aware of claims regarding unauthorized activity affecting FBIjobs.gov and is currently investigating,” the agency told PCMag.
ShinyHunters also told us: “Yes, that was the entry point, and we were able to laterally move to access different services and FBI databases. We downloaded all.” The group was also spotted briefly defacing FBIjobs.gov with a Pokémon image.
(Credit: FBI)
If you go to FBIjobs.gov right now, you’re met with a “System Unavailable” banner and a note that says, “Apply.fbijobs.gov and the Special Agent Applicant Portal are currently unavailable. For urgent scheduling issues, please reach out to your Applicant Coordinator. We apologize for the inconvenience.”
Original Story:
Cybercriminal gang ShinyHunters claims to have stolen data from the FBI and reportedly has the evidence to back it up.
ShinyHunters boasted about the hacking claim on its site on the dark web. The gang also shared a sample of the stolen data, which contained details on 5,000 FBI employees, with 404Media, which reports that at least some of the information appears legitimate.
“We have compromised the FBI,” ShinyHunters wrote on its site. “We hold very sensitive data on almost ALL FBI Agents and individuals who filed an application with the FBI for a job.” The group reportedly hacked the FBI using a previously unknown vulnerability in an Oracle product called PeopleSoft.
ShinyHunters is perhaps best known for the Canvas breach that disrupted IT systems at thousands of schools and universities. The group —which often steals data to force companies to pay up— is now taking on the FBI, explaining the breach is in retaliation for an alert the agency published in May, warning about ShinyHunters’ tactics, including the gang’s tendency to use exaggerated or false claims, along with harassment, to pressure victims into agreeing to their extortion demands.
“We have been severely offended,” ShinyHunters wrote on Tuesday. “We were very disappointed to see an agency of your standing would resort to such circulation of disinformation in an attempt to ‘disrupt’ our operations, an effort that ultimately proved unsuccessful.”
(Credit: ShinyHunters)
So far, the FBI hasn’t responded to a request for comment. But in May, ShinyHunters told PCMag that the FBI was spreading “misinformation” with its alert.
After we wrote about a breach at Brinks Home Security attributed to the gang, noting the previous FBI warning, ShinyHunters responded, saying: “You know very well that the FBI is speaking of scammers using our name to appear credible/legitimate to do things like sextortion, etc. Stop twisting the Agency writing and words into your own narrative.”
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In the meantime, ShinyHunters is trying to extort the agency, demanding it rescind the advisory it published in May.
“We are willing to allow you a time of 1 week to correct or simply REMOVE the 2026 Quarter 2 FLASH report on us that includes several FALSE allegations,” the group writes to FBI Director Kash Patel and the agency’s assistant director for the cyber division, Brett Leatherman. “We wish to state unequivocally [that] our threats and claims are very real. Not exaggerated and never a bluff. This PSA today is living evidence of that.”
ShinyHunters also condemns journalists “who have previously and intentionally propagated false narratives about our organization in an attempt to ‘disrupt’ our operations and hinder clients’ trust in our organisation hoping nobody pays us.”
“Should those certain journalists, and you know very well who you are, continue these unwarranted attacks and defamatory statements, we will be forced to respond in a civil manner with a commensurate and forceful defense of our reputation. As any human being would do,” the group wrote.
About Our Expert
Michael Kan
Principal Reporter
Experience
I’ve been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I’m currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country’s technology sector.
Since 2020, I’ve covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I’ve combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink’s cellular service.
I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. In 2024 and 2025, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.
I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I’m now following how the AI-driven memory shortage is impacting the entire consumer electronics market. I’m always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.
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