FBI Cyber Chief Urges ShinyHunters to Open Channel After Job Site Breach

A senior FBI official has issued an unusually public appeal to the hacking group ShinyHunters, urging the cybercriminals to make contact after a sweeping breach of the bureau's recruitment website.

In a video message posted to X on Tuesday, Brett Leatherman, who heads the FBI's Cyber Division, pointed to the recent arrest of a Dutch man in connection with the ShinyHunters investigation as a warning to others.

"Other groups believed anonymity or their friends would protect them, and they were wrong," Leatherman said. "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."

Though framed as a threat, the invitation to open a line of communication between law enforcement and the hackers underscores the seriousness with which the bureau is treating the incident. The compromised material includes sensitive medical records, Social Security numbers, family details and intelligence-related information belonging to named FBI staffers.

An internal memo circulated across the FBI said officials were working on the assumption that every employee had been exposed.

ShinyHunters did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The group had initially given the bureau a week to withdraw an advisory about the hackers that it objected to — a window that closed on Tuesday. The hackers have since described the ultimatum as neither a deadline nor a threat, saying they had no plans to publish the data.

"This was all a marketing campaign," the group said on Monday.