FBI Director Kash Patel is confronting a serious alleged security breach after hackers claimed they stole personal information belonging to bureau employees and job applicants.
ShinyHunters, a notorious hacking group, said the data included FBI agents’ names, home addresses, telephone numbers and dates of birth, as well as information about some of their spouses.
The group also defaced the FBI’s recruitment website on Tuesday, posting the message: “This site has been seized by ShinyHunters.” The wording appeared to parody the seizure notices the bureau places on criminal websites it has taken offline.
The hackers also mocked Donald Trump, ending their message with the president’s familiar Truth Social sign-off: “Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
In an interview with 404 Media, which first reported the alleged FBI breach, one of the hackers issued a threatening message aimed at the Trump administration.
“What we plan to do is not something I’d call extortion, maybe coercion,” the hacker said, insisting that the operation was “not financially motivated.”
ShinyHunters typically steals data before demanding a ransom, threatening to publish additional files if victims refuse to pay.
The FBI said in a statement to the Daily Mail: “The FBI is aware of claims regarding unauthorized activity affecting FBIjobs.gov and is currently investigating.”
FBI Director Kash Patel and Alexis Wilkins arrive at the White House ahead of the UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn, Sunday, June 14
A sample of 5,000 records released by the hackers contained purported addresses, phone numbers and dates of birth. Some entries also included information about spouses.
Checks by 404 Media found that some leaked phone numbers corresponded to people with matching names in open-source intelligence databases. Several were also connected to Justice Department personnel, the outlet reported.
The message posted on the FBI jobs website claimed the hackers had obtained personal and health information on current and former bureau employees, along with data on every applicant.
“We have a lot more than we claim here,” the message added.
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The website was later taken offline. A notice said the Special Agent Applicant Portal was “currently unavailable.”
The FBI has previously warned that criminals linked to ShinyHunters use stolen personal information to target and harass victims and their families.
The hackers’ representative claimed the attack began on Monday night after they exploited a previously unknown software vulnerability, known as a zero-day, in Oracle’s PeopleSoft system.
The group further claimed it had reached Amazon’s AWS GovCloud servers, a cloud platform designed to store sensitive US government data, and had taken between two and three terabytes of files.
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The Daily Mail has contacted Oracle and Amazon seeking comment.
The alleged FBI data breach comes as Patel, 46, faces growing scrutiny over a series of controversies at the bureau since he was sworn in as FBI director in February last year.
Patel last week faced heated questioning at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing over changes to FBI hiring standards involving prostitution and bestiality.
Patel defended the changes, saying they were meant to let victims of those acts apply for FBI jobs without being automatically disqualified.
In April, Patel filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic over an article alleging mismanagement at the agency and excessive drinking, claims he denies.
He has also faced scrutiny over his use of the bureau’s $60 million jet, including a trip to see his girlfriend, country singer Alexis Wilkins, perform at a Penn State wrestling event last year.
Patel has insisted he is ‘entitled to a personal life just like my other agency counterparts with their partners.’