Feds warns hackers after ShinyHunters arrest over FBI jobsite data breach

Feds warns hackers after ShinyHunters arrest over FBI jobsite data breach.

Key points

• "Other groups believed anonymity or their friends would protect them, and they were wrong, " Leatherman who works with the FBI's ⁠Cyber Division, remarked.
• 15 – the same day van der Stap was arrested in a police raid that involved flash bang grenades.
• The FBI confirmed the arrest of a suspected member of the hacking group ShinyHunters and issued a direct warning to the group's remaining members.
• Arrests have a way of changing who is willing to talk, and seized infrastructure has a way of showing us who's left, Letterman remarked.
• ""You know how to find us, and we know how to find you.

Feds warns hackers after ShinyHunters arrest over FBI jobsite data breach. Natalie Neysa Alund USA TODAY. See FBI's message to ShinyHunters hackers.

For context, the FBI confirmed the arrest of a suspected member of the hacking group ShinyHunters and issued a direct warning to the group's remaining members.

For context, the FBI confirmed the arrest of a suspected member of the digital hacking group ShinyHunters, accused of stealing personnel data from the FBI's jobsite last week, and issued a warning to the cybercriminals.

""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, FBI Assistant Director Brett Leatherman remarked Sept. 29 in a video address after the recent arrest of a Dutch man in connection with the ShinyHunters investigation.

"Other groups believed anonymity or their friends would protect them, and they were wrong, " Leatherman who works with the FBI's ⁠Cyber Division, remarked. "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."

FBI Director Kash Patel, in a post on X, did not name the person arrested in a joint operation with Dutch National Police, but remarked they are one of the alleged leaders of ShinyHunters – what he called "a global cybercrime and threat actor group linked to cyberattacks in the United States, the Netherlands, and around the world."

"Since last year, this cybercriminal and his co-conspirators have allegedly breached more than 140 organizations and taken at least $70 million in extortion payments, " Letterman remarked, adding the group often targets third-party vendors in cloud-based platforms, stealing sensitive data and extorting victims with threats to publish it.

"To the remaining members of ShinyHunters. Arrests have a way of changing who is willing to talk, and seized infrastructure has a way of showing us who's left, " Letterman remarked. "The longer you stay in this, the more we learn about you."

Authorities have not stated how the group gained access to FBIjobs.gov. But Reuters previously documented an internal memo distributed throughout the FBI noted office-holders were operating under the assumption all current and former employees had been exposed.

USA TODAY has reached out to the FBI and Dutch police for more information.

Patel remarked the FBI continues to hunt down leads and investigate the case. Dutch police remarked 24-year-man due in court Sept. 29.

For context, a day earlier, in an official note posted on X, Dutch police remarked they arrested a 24-year-old man suspected of playing a role with ShinyHunters and stated he was in due in court on Sept. 29.

Police additionally did not name the man, but Reuters noted Benjamin Korper of Amsterdam-based cybersecurity firm Neo Security remarked it was Pepijn van der Stap, the company's offensive security lead. Korper remarked Dutch investigators visited his office Sept. 15 – the same day van der Stap was arrested in a police raid that involved flash bang grenades.

In an unrelated investigation to ShinyHunters, authorities stated the man was additionally suspected of attempting to instigate two killings abroad, according to an updated post from Dutch police Sept 29. Authorities did not release further details regarding that separate case.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund. SMS Facebook Twitter Email. Share your feedback to support improve our site! Share your feedback to support improve our site!

Taken together, the developments around feds warns hackers after ShinyHunters arrest over FBI jobsite data breach point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.