Florida confirms DAVID driver database breached via stolen police credentials; ShinyHunters claims 200,000+ records

Florida's DMV (FLHSMV) confirmed attackers accessed its DAVID driver database using credentials stolen from a Plant City police employee's personal electronic device; the ShinyHunters gang claims it stole more than 200,000 records and shared a Jeffrey Epstein…

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) confirmed a breach of its DAVID driver database, learned of on September 4, 2026, and says the breach was quickly mitigated with no ongoing activity. Investigators attributed the access to compromised credentials of a single Plant City Police Department employee (described by The Record as an officer) that were improperly stored on a personal electronic device. The ShinyHunters extortion gang claimed access earlier in the week — The Record reports it claimed access Monday before FLHSMV publicly confirmed Thursday night — and says it stole more than 200,000 driver records starting September 3, sharing a Jeffrey Epstein record as proof of access; FLHSMV has not confirmed the record count or the exfiltration claims, which remain unconfirmed amid an ongoing criminal investigation. The agency notified the Florida Attorney General's office and is working with the Florida Digital Service and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Experts initially speculated a possible link to the IDScan breach of 153 million driver's licenses. Separately, Anthropic reported that suspected ShinyHunters affiliates use AI to scan credentials, map systems, and exfiltrate data, in one case pivoting from a stolen developer token to cloud admin access in about three hours.

• FLHSMV confirmed a breach of its DAVID driver database, learned of on September 4, 2026, and says it was quickly mitigated with none ongoing.
• Access was attributed to compromised credentials of a single Plant City Police Department employee that were improperly stored on the employee's personal electronic device.
• ShinyHunters claims it stole more than 200,000 DAVID driver records starting September 3, 2026, and shared a Jeffrey Epstein record as proof; FLHSMV has not confirmed the count or the exfiltration claims.
• Per The Record, ShinyHunters claimed access Monday and FLHSMV publicly confirmed the breach Thursday night; both reports were published September 11, 2026.
• FLHSMV notified the Florida Attorney General's office and is working with the Florida Digital Service and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement; the claims remain under an ongoing criminal investigation.
• Experts initially speculated a link to the IDScan breach of 153 million driver's licenses.
• Anthropic reported suspected ShinyHunters affiliates use AI to scan credentials, map systems, and exfiltrate data, in one case moving from a stolen developer token to cloud admin access in about three hours.
• ShinyHunters earlier claimed a password reset flaw exposed accounts including an FBI agent's, and the group has previously hit Jack Henry, McKesson, Ticketmaster, AT&T, ADT, and Rockstar.