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FBI investigates after ShinyHunters hackers claim theft of agents' personal data
By James Cirrone
Published September 23, 2026
The FBI said it is investigating a hack of its jobs portal, which took down the website entirely on Tuesday. As of Wednesday morning, the site was still not operational.
"The FBI is aware of claims regarding unauthorized activity affecting FBIjobs.gov and is currently investigating," the FBI said in a statement to Fox News.
ShinyHunters, a criminal hacking and extortion group, took responsibility for the breach and said it has stolen the information of almost all FBI agents and people who applied to the bureau for a job, Reuters reported.
The J. Edgar Hoover Building, which houses the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), on Aug. 8, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
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A screenshot of a data sample shared with Reuters contained agents' names, home addresses, Social Security numbers, their assignments and, in some cases, the names of their family members.
ShinyHunters said on its dark-web site it targeted the FBI in response to the bureau's May 2026 public service announcement warning organizations about the group's tactics and reiterating that victims should not pay ransom or extortion demands.
"Threat actors often use their real or exaggerated claims of access to sensitive or personal information to prompt payment from victims. Victims may receive an extortion email signed as ShinyHunters," the FBI's PSA said.
An FBI logo is displayed on a bulletproof jacket at MCAS Miramar on Sept. 26, 2025, in San Diego, California. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
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ShinyHunters has been linked to several high-profile cyberattacks, including the alleged theft of millions of records from "Grand Theft Auto" developer Rockstar Games and a May breach of the Canvas learning platform that disrupted schools across the United States.
Earlier this month, Anthropic said it detected hackers tied to the group attempting to misuse its AI tools.
A man checks his phone while passing the bureau seal on the wall of the FBI headquarters. (Reuters)
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ShinyHunters has been around since at least 2019, and has claimed to have targeted Microsoft, Pluto TV, AT&T, Ticketmaster and multiple Ivy League universities.
Reuters contributed to this report.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fbi-investigates-shinyhunters-hackers-claim-theft-agents-personal-data