Cybercriminal group claims it stole FBI personnel and applicant data

September 23, 2026 / 4:59 PM EDT / CBS News

Cybercriminal group claims it stole FBI personnel and applicant data

TL;DR

  • The cybercriminal group ShinyHunters claims to have breached the FBI and stolen 2-3 terabytes of data.
  • The stolen data reportedly includes information on FBI personnel and job applicants.
  • ShinyHunters claims to have exploited a new vulnerability in Oracle PeopleSoft, a human resources management program.
  • The FBI has acknowledged awareness of the claims and is investigating the alleged unauthorized activity.
  • The FBI's jobs portal, Apply.fbijobs.gov, showed a 'System Unavailable' message.
  • Media reports suggest data provided by hackers corresponds to real FBI or Justice Department personnel, but has not been independently verified as originating from FBI systems.
  • ShinyHunters disputed an FBI FLASH report that characterized the group and its tactics, denying financially motivated demands and rejecting descriptions of their actions as ransom or extortion.
  • The FBI had previously issued warnings about ShinyHunters, detailing their tactics which include stolen credentials, data theft, extortion, harassment, swatting, and false claims of possessing compromising material.
  • This is potentially the third major cyber incident to impact the FBI or its employees this year.