FBIJobs.gov breach: ShinyHunters stole FBI staff data, and DOJ employees are now likely affected too
FBIJobs.gov (FBI jobs and background-check portal)
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The ShinyHunters group breached FBIJobs.gov, the FBI's unclassified jobs and background-check portal, and in September 2026 claimed data on nearly all FBI employees. The FBI called it a major cyber incident and says Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses, phone numbers and emergency contacts were taken; it is operating as if every employee's data was exposed. The bureau blamed a contractor who failed to install an issued security patch on the third-party-managed platform (Oracle PeopleSoft, run by Accenture, according to Reuters' sources). On Nov 3 2026 POLITICO reported a Justice Department memo warning that employees in U.S. attorney offices were likely affected as well.
Why this severity: Sensitive PII (SSNs, home addresses, emergency contacts) of FBI personnel and likely DOJ staff, with physical-safety risk for agents and prosecutors; number of DOJ employees affected not disclosed
- Started
- Sep 22, 2026
Affected
Not published yet
Fixed in
No fixed release yet
Timeline4
POLITICO reports a Justice Department memo warning select employees in U.S. attorney offices that their personal data was likely stolen in the same FBIJobs.gov hack, widening the breach beyond FBI staff. DOJ is notifying people as the FBI verifies the data.
FBI cyber chief Brett Leatherman says the breach happened because a contractor failed to install a security patch explicitly issued for a third-party-managed platform, and that the contractor was removed. Reuters' sources name the platform as Oracle PeopleSoft and the contractor's employer as Accenture.
The FBI notifies Congress that the FBIJobs.gov hack is a major incident; stolen data includes Social Security numbers, birth dates, phone numbers, addresses and emergency contacts used in background checks.
The ShinyHunters extortion group announces it hacked FBI systems through the FBIJobs.gov jobs portal and claims data on nearly all FBI staff. The FBI determines the same day that the hack is a major cyber incident and sends its first agency-wide email about it.
News & write-ups4
- Social Security numbers, birth dates compromised in 'major' hack of FBI jobs portalPOLITICO · Sep 28, 2026
- FBI says contractor failure led to hack of its jobs websiteNBC News · Oct 6, 2026
- FBI Blames Contractor's Missed Patch for ShinyHunters BreachSecurityWeek · Oct 6, 2026
- DOJ warns FBI data breach likely extends to Justice Department employeesPOLITICO · Nov 3, 2026
Notes & caveats
The FBI has not publicly named the contractor, the platform or the exact vulnerability; the PeopleSoft and Accenture identifications come from Reuters' sources. Mandiant has separately tied ShinyHunters to mass exploitation of Oracle PeopleSoft CVE-2026-35273, but the FBI has not linked its breach to that CVE. The FBI says multiple ShinyHunters suspects have been arrested.
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