Hacking group ShinyHunters claims theft of 5,000 FBI agents' records

The crypto-focused hacking group ShinyHunters says it broke into an FBI database and took personal information belonging to 5,000 of the agency's agents.

Yesterday the gang sent a sample of the harvested records to multiple news outlets, with the data covering family members, Social Security numbers and assignment details.

Reuters was able to partially verify some of the information and match it against other agents, including FBI director Kash Patel.

ShinyHunters also replaced the FBI's career page with a picture of the Pokémon Umbreon.

Hackers say FBI breach wasn't driven by cash

ShinyHunters told outlets that this week's theft was a response to an FBI report from May 2026 that outlined the group's alleged activities and methods.

The group claims the report contains false accusations and has given the agency one week to correct or remove it.

In a message to 404media, ShinyHunters said the theft was not “financially motivated.” It said, “What we plan to do is not extortion, maybe coercion.”

An FBI spokesperson told the publication that ShinyHunters accessed AWS GovCloud servers through a zero-day flaw in Oracle's PeopleSoft product.

ShinyHunters still usually operates for profit

ShinyHunters is an international hacking group that steals sensitive information and holds it to ransom for sizeable crypto payments.

In 2024, the group extorted AT&T after taking data belonging to nearly all of its 109 million customers. The telecom eventually paid nearly six bitcoin, worth $373,646 at the time, to end the extortion.

In January this year, ShinyHunters said it had stolen user data from dating apps Hinge, Match and OKCupid.

Four French men were arrested in May this year in connection with ShinyHunters, but the collective has continued operating regardless.