The FBI said Wednesday it is investigating a breach of its jobs portal after a cybercriminal group said it obtained sensitive personal information belonging to bureau employees.
The bureau said it has not yet determined whether the breach originated within its own systems or through a third-party provider supporting its primary recruitment website, FBIjobs.gov.
“The FBI is aware of a cybercriminal enterprise group claiming a compromise of the fbijobs.gov portal and alleged impact to FBI employee personally identifiable information,” the bureau said in a statement. It said it was “actively and aggressively investigating” the incident and working with third-party providers to mitigate potential risks.
The hacking group, ShinyHunters, claimed responsibility for an FBI data breach, alleging it obtained sensitive information about FBI personnel and people who applied for jobs with the bureau. The scope of the breach and the group’s claims have not been independently verified.
In a lengthy message addressed directly to FBI Director Kash Patel and the assistant director of the bureau’s Cyber Division, Brett Leatherman, the group outlined its claims and demands.
“We have compromised the FBI,” the group wrote in a post on X on Tuesday, adding it holds “very sensitive data” on almost all FBI agents and people who have applied for jobs at the bureau. ShinyHunters also said several FBI services were compromised, including systems involving criminal justice, human resources and medical information.
The hackers framed the alleged breach as retaliation for what they called “substantial false allegations” about the group in an FBI cyber report issued earlier this year. ShinyHunters gave the bureau one week to correct or remove the report, disputing FBI assertions about tactics used by the group.
“We wish to state unequivocally our threats and claims are very real,” the group wrote. ShinyHunters also insisted its actions were not financially motivated.
In a May advisory, the FBI described ShinyHunters as a cybercriminal group that uses data breaches, extortion and threats to pressure victims.
FBIJobs.gov serves as the bureau’s primary recruitment website and directs prospective employees to its candidate portal, where applicants submit information for FBI positions. The application process can involve significant amounts of personally identifiable information. As of Wednesday afternoon, the jobs website was inaccessible.
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