FBI urges ShinyHunters hackers to get in touch — Jerusalem Post
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation publicly urged the hacker group ShinyHunters to contact the agency following a large-scale breach of the FBI’s employment website. As the Jerusalem Post reports, Brett Leatherman, the FBI assistant director and head of its cyber division, made the appeal in a video published on social media platform X on Tuesday.
Leatherman said the recent detention of a man in the Netherlands as part of the ShinyHunters investigation should serve as a warning to other members of cybercriminal groups. He said other groups had also believed that anonymity or help from acquaintances would keep them safe, but they were wrong. The official urged the hackers to contact the FBI on their own, “while the choice is still yours.”
FBI employee data
The breach compromised sensitive data of FBI employees, including medical records, Social Security numbers, family information, and information related to the intelligence activities of certain employees. According to Reuters, an internal FBI memo stated that officials are operating on the assumption that the leak may have affected every bureau employee.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
ShinyHunters initially gave the FBI one week to withdraw statements about the group that the hackers considered unacceptable. That period expired on Tuesday. The group later said that the ultimatum was neither a deadline nor a threat, and also assured that it did not intend to publish the data, calling the situation a “marketing campaign.”
Detention in the Netherlands
Separately, a 24-year-old man detained as part of the ShinyHunters investigation is being examined in connection with accusations that he allegedly ordered two murders abroad. According to the Dutch news agency ANP, information about possible criminal plans was allegedly found on his laptop. Police did not confirm these reports, and it is also unknown whether the alleged murders took place. These suspicions are being considered separately from the ShinyHunters case.
Dutch authorities have not publicly named the detained man. However, his former employer, Amsterdam-based cybersecurity company Neo Security, said he is Pepijn van der Stap. ShinyHunters stated that he has no connection to the group.
