ShinyHunters tells The Reg: We hacked the FBI to 'protect our business'
ShinyHunters says it stole FBI personnel files via an Oracle PeopleSoft zero-day to rebut an FBI bulletin.
ShinyHunters told The Register it breached FBIJobs.gov through an Oracle PeopleSoft zero-day, then accessed FBI-managed servers on AWS GovCloud and stole thousands of files on current, former, and prospective employees. Sample files reviewed by journalists reportedly include home addresses, phone numbers, emails, Social Security numbers, job titles, field offices, and emergency contacts. The FBI said it is investigating a claimed compromise of FBIJobs.gov and possible employee PII exposure, and that the entry point is still undetermined. The group said it sought no extortion payment and framed the intrusion as a response to a May 2026 FBI FLASH report.
- ShinyHunters claims an Oracle PeopleSoft zero-day on FBIJobs.gov led into AWS GovCloud.
- Alleged files include SSNs, addresses, phones, and field offices for FBI personnel.
- FBI says it is investigating; the breach point is still undetermined.
- Group says it made no ransom demand and aimed to rebut a May 2026 FLASH report.
- Crew says it rebranded from GnosticPlayers to ShinyHunters in 2020.
- Vendors
- OracleAmazon Web Services
- Threat actors
- ShinyHuntersGnosticPlayers
- Victims
- FBI
- Organizations
- FBIInstructure
- Countries
- United States
From the original article
5 min read at theregister.comShinyHunters, the data theft and extortion crew that has stolen sensitive information belonging to millions of cancer patients , university and K-12 students , and Carnival cruisers , wanted to preserve their reputation and keep their “business” afloat. So it hacked the FBI to make a statement, the group told The Register . “It’s a game and it’s the world we live in,” a ShinyHunters spokesperson told us.
By Jessica Lyons · theregister.com
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