FBI says investigating breach of ‘very sensitive’ data by hackers

The FBI is investigating a data breach of its jobs website, fbijobs.gov, after the hacker group ShinyHunters claimed to have obtained sensitive information on thousands of employees. The agency confirmed it is aware of the claims and is actively investigating the point of breach, whether it originated from a third-party provider or the FBI's own systems. News outlets have reportedly seen parts of the data, which ShinyHunters claims is between two and three terabytes and includes details on job assignments, including sensitive work against foreign intelligence and criminal organizations. ShinyHunters stated it is holding the data hostage until the FBI rescinds a previous statement about the group. The FBI previously described ShinyHunters as "threat actors" who use claims of data access to solicit payment.

The FBI is investigating claims of a data breach affecting its jobs website, FBIjobs.gov. The website was taken offline on Wednesday. A hacking group known as ShinyHunters has claimed responsibility, stating they accessed "very sensitive data" belonging to nearly all FBI agents and job applicants. The FBI confirmed it is aware of the claims and is investigating. ShinyHunters reportedly made the claims in a message to FBI leadership, demanding the removal of an FBI public service announcement that characterized the group as cybercriminals. The FBI has not verified the claims and declined further comment.