Suspected ShinyHunters hacker arrested after FBI data breach

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Dutch police have arrested a suspected member of the ShinyHunters hacker group and accused the man of trying to arrange two murders.

The 24-year-old from Amsterdam was arrested on Sept. 15, before the group claimed to have hacked the FBI. He is “suspected of playing a role in the hacker group ShinyHunters,” Dutch police said, adding, “The man is also suspected of attempted solicitation of two murders.”

The suspicion of trying to arrange two murders was linked to information found on the suspect’s laptop but “is not related to the investigation into ShinyHunters,” according to the force.

ShinyHunters claimed last week to have breached the FBI’s jobs website. The hacker group said it had stolen “very sensitive data” belonging to thousands of agents and applicants and that it had compromised the bureau’s jobs website.

FBI Director Kash Patel took to X to highlight the arrest in the Netherlands.

“This morning @FBI and our partners the Dutch National Police are announcing the arrest of one of the alleged leaders of ShinyHunters – a global cybercrime and threat actor group linked to cyberattacks in the United States, the Netherlands, and around the world,” he said.

“In coordination with FBI investigators the Dutch High-Tech Crime Unit arrested the suspect under Dutch law,” he added. “As we speak FBI teams are actively working with partners to obtain and execute more leads in the ongoing investigation based on this arrest.”

The Dutch police statement announcing the arrest did not mention the FBI hack or coordination with American law enforcement.

Dutch detectives seized data storage devices during their probe and were investigating their contents and said they did not rule out more arrests.

“Arresting cybercrime suspects is a key intervention in our broad-based fight against this type of crime,” said Stan Duijf, the Dutch police official responsible for tackling cybercrime. “The ShinyHunters group is responsible for a large number of victims, both in the Netherlands and abroad. It is gratifying that we have been able to arrest a suspect in the investigation into this group.”

A court in Rotterdam on Tuesday ordered the suspect held for a further 90 days.

FBI website hacked

Last Wednesday, the FBI said it was “actively and aggressively investigating” a claimed hack of the FBIJobs.gov portal. A message that circulated online from ShinyHunters claimed responsibility.

“We have compromised the FBI. We hold very sensitive data on almost ALL FBI Agents and individuals who filed an application with the FBI for a job,” said the ShinyHunters message, which was directed to Patel and Brett Leatherman, the assistant director in charge of the bureau’s cyber division.

In its message, ShinyHunters said it would give the bureau one week to correct or remove what it said were false allegations contained in an FBI public advisory from May that described the organization as a “cyber criminal group specializing in large-scale data breaches and extortion.”

FBI official tells hackers to get in touch

FBI Assistant Director Leatherman made an unusually public request Tuesday, telling the cybercrime group that they should contact investigators.

In a video address published on X, he said the arrest should serve as a warning.

“Other groups believed anonymity or their friends would protect them, and they were wrong,” said Leatherman, who leads the FBI’s Cyber Division. “You know how to find us, and we know how to find you. I suggest you reach out first while the choice is still yours.”

Though framed as a threat, Leatherman’s initiative to open a channel of communication between law enforcement and the hackers demonstrates how seriously the bureau views the breach. The intrusion compromised sensitive medical records, Social Security numbers, family information, and intelligence-related details of named FBI staffers.

An internal memo distributed across the FBI stated that officials were operating under the assumption that every employee had been exposed, as previously reported by Reuters.

ShinyHunters did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. The group originally gave the bureau a week to retract the advisory about the hackers, a timeframe that expired on Tuesday. The hackers have since said the ultimatum was not a threat or deadline and they had no plans to publish the data.

“This was all a marketing campaign,” the group said on Monday.