Twin Engineers Accused of Wiping Gov Data

Twin brothers Muneeb and Sohaib Akhter, aged 34, have been indicted by the Justice Department for their alleged roles in deleting government databases hosted by a federal contractor. This latest action follows reports from May detailing their alleged compromise of data across multiple agencies. The brothers had previously pleaded guilty in 2015 to federal conspiracy charges related to data breaches at the State Department and a cosmetics company, serving multiple years in prison.

Following their employment as engineers for Opexus, a federal contractor, the Akhters were terminated. Subsequently, they allegedly accessed computers without authorization, issued commands to prevent modifications, deleted databases, stole information, and destroyed evidence. In February, Muneeb Akhter purportedly deleted nearly 100 databases containing U.S. government information, including Freedom of Information Act records and sensitive investigative files.

Muneeb Akhter is also accused of inquiring about clearing system logs using an AI tool shortly after deleting a DHS database. The brothers reportedly discussed destroying evidence, and their company laptops were wiped before return. Sohaib Akhter is accused of trafficking in a password for accessing a U.S. government computer. Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti stated their actions jeopardized system security and agency functions.