Cybercriminal group claims to steal thousands of FBI employee records

The FBI is probing a possible security breach at its online jobs portal, following a cybercrime syndicate's claim to have stolen the personal data of FBI personnel. The FBI National Press Office confirmed the ongoing investigation after ShinyHunters, a notorious hacking group, posted a message online. The group asserted that it had obtained "very sensitive" information on "almost all" FBI agents, as well as applicants for FBI jobs.

ShinyHunters provided a sample of the stolen data to 404 Media, which first reported the alleged cyberattack. The data collection included FBI agents' names, home addresses, phone numbers, and even details about their spouses. Two sources familiar with the breach expressed confidence in ShinyHunters' claims, noting that such a breach could pose significant counterintelligence risks.

Identifying information on a few agency personnel could be used to intimidate or harass FBI agents and their families, as well as attracting the attention of foreign intelligence services and violent criminal organizations. The FBI's job website was reportedly also impacted by the breach, with a "system unavailable" notice appearing on Tuesday afternoon.

The leak comes amid a string of high-profile breaches within the FBI's sensitive systems. In April, Chinese-linked hackers infiltrated an FBI wiretap system, one of the most significant breaches in years. ShinyHunters claimed to have exploited a previously unknown software vulnerability in Oracle PeopleSoft, an application frequently used for human resources purposes.

However, investigators have yet to confirm whether this was indeed the case. Later in the month, the group employed a zero-day bug affecting organizations utilizing PeopleSoft. Oracle subsequently patched the vulnerability, raising questions about whether ShinyHunters reused the exploit or found an alternative method. ShinyHunters' alleged attack on the FBI follows a series of breaches targeting the company in recent months.

The group targeted the Canvas learning system in May, temporarily disrupting access for thousands of schools and universities. This occurred after the FBI released a public service announcement warning about the group's tactics, following their previous attack on the Canvas system. The FBI has not yet commented on the latest breach, nor has the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency offered any response.