Two members of the FBI Pittsburgh SWAT team prepare for an arrest effort in support of Operation Turf War in Baltimore, Maryland, on June 2, 2026.
Image credit: Federal Bureau of Investigation
A hacking group called ShinyHunters claims it broke into FBI-related systems and stole personal information on "all FBI employees and applicants." A sample of data provided to 404 Media lists names, home addresses, phone numbers, and birth dates for 5,000 alleged FBI employees, along with details about some of their spouses.
404 Media ran several of the phone numbers through investigative tools and found they belonged to people with the same names listed in the file, and were able to tie them back to U.S. Department of Justice staff. The FBI has not confirmed the breach. A spokesperson told 404 Media the bureau "is aware of claims regarding unauthorized activity affecting FBIjobs.gov and is currently investigating."
Home addresses and phone numbers for agents and their families are the raw material for doxxing, where criminals publish personal information with the intent to open the targets to harassment. Criminals in the same online circles as ShinyHunters have used hacked phone records to track and intimidate FBI agents investigating them, 404 Media reports. The FBI has said ShinyHunters sends threatening texts and calls to victims and their families, and sometimes carries out swatting: a fake emergency call meant to send armed police to someone's home.
ShinyHunters claims it accessed the FBI systems through a zero-day exploit in Oracle's PeopleSoft software. From there, it reached Amazon Web Services GovCloud servers, which host government data, and downloaded between 2-3 terabytes of data.
On Tuesday, the group defaced the FBI's jobs website with a message reading "this site has been seized by ShinyHunters," a jab at the seizure notices the FBI and other agencies post on sites they take down. The FBI's application portals were still offline as of publication.
If you've applied for an FBI job through FBIjobs.gov or you are a current or past employee of the FBI, treat your personal details as possibly exposed. Be suspicious of any unexpected call, text, or email that mentions your application, your address, or your family. Stolen personal details make scam and harassment messages sound convincing.
Your name, address, and birth date also give identity thieves a starting point for opening accounts in your name. A free credit freeze at Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion stops most lenders from pulling your credit report to open new accounts until you lift it
