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FBI Cyber Chief Warns Hackers: 'We Know Who You Are'
30 Sep
Summary
- Hackers stole personal details of thousands of FBI officials.
- FBI official warned hackers that their operations are being tracked.
- One alleged leader of the hacking group was arrested in the Netherlands.
The FBI is facing significant embarrassment following a massive data breach that compromised its servers last week. Hackers, identified as ShinyHunters, successfully exfiltrated personal information belonging to thousands of FBI officials. Brett Leatherman, Assistant Director of the FBI's Cyber Division, issued a direct warning to the group via a video message, emphasizing that their continued operations only provide more intelligence to the FBI.
Leatherman revealed that Dutch authorities, acting in coordination with the FBI's cyber strategy, arrested an individual identified as an alleged leader of ShinyHunters. This arrest, reportedly occurring around September 15, 2026, involved the seizure of a laptop containing data related to planned murders abroad. The FBI official urged ShinyHunters to surrender, stating that arrests and seized infrastructure have a way of revealing remaining members.
Despite the breach, ShinyHunters has reportedly walked back threats to publish the stolen data, which allegedly includes sensitive information on FBI employees in counterintelligence roles and even medical data. The group denied the arrested individual was associated with them, criticizing Dutch law enforcement. The FBI has not disclosed the full extent of the compromise, acknowledging that investigations into such large-scale incidents are lengthy.
