Exclusive-Key ShinyHunters hacker detained in Jordan, is cooperating, sources say

A prominent figure within the ShinyHunters hacker group, who allegedly stole data on every FBI employee, was apprehended in Jordan this week, according to three sources familiar with the situation. Two of the sources indicated that Saif al-Din Khader, whose hacker alias is Rey, was cooperating with the FBI to identify the other members of the group.

Authorities apprehended Khader on Tuesday, but the circumstances surrounding his detention and his current location remain unclear. Both sources confirmed that he was assisting the FBI and global law enforcement in tracking down the other hackers in the ShinyHunters organization. The FBI did not comment on the specific arrest or any activities outside the United States, but they reiterated their commitment to aggressively investigate the recent cyber incident involving ShinyHunters, having already collaborated with partners to arrest multiple suspects.

So far, Reuters has been unable to contact Khader or members of his family over the past week and a half. The detention of Khader is the latest development in the case of ShinyHunters, a loosely organized group of young, English-speaking hackers primarily focused on data theft and extortion. Their theft of extensive data purportedly belonging to every FBI employee has drawn parallels to the alleged Chinese-linked intrusion at the US Office of Personnel Management in 2015, which compromised sensitive information on millions of Americans who had undergone security clearance procedures.