ShinyHunters tells The Reg: We hacked the FBI to 'protect our business'
Data theft and extortion biz, that is
ShinyHunters, a cybercriminal group responsible for compromising sensitive information of millions of individuals, including cancer patients, university and K-12 students, and Carnival cruise passengers, claimed motive for hacking the FBI was to protect their reputation and sustain their business operations. According to a spokesperson for the group, the breach was executed to confront the allegations made against ShinyHunters by the FBI in their May 2026 FLASH report.
The group's spokesperson asserted that the hack, executed by exploiting an Oracle PeopleSoft zero-day flaw in the FBIJobs.gov portal, was not financially motivated and no extortion payment was demanded. The group emphasized that their actions were a public relations and marketing initiative to reinforce their reputation as a professional and predictable entity focused on transaction and resolution.
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