FBI Website Compromised by Pokémon Fans
Yes, you read that right—a group of Pokémon enthusiasts managed to hack an FBI website. It sounds wild, but it appears to be true.
The incident might have slipped under the radar if the hackers hadn’t left an unmistakable sign that they had infiltrated the agency’s system. Along with this, they displayed evidence of the extent of their access.
The hackers, identifying themselves as ShinyHunters, took their name from Pokémon’s quest for rare creatures, and they chose a golden Poké Ball as their symbol, representing their gaming pursuit.
They later made their presence known online, claiming responsibility for the breach, which they say involves personal data of around 5,000 FBI agents.
“We have compromised the FBI. We hold very sensitive data on almost ALL FBI Agents and individuals who filed an application with the FBI for a job,” their message stated, as reported by various outlets.
Following up on these claims, 404 Media confirmed that the hackers had reached out to them, showcasing the information they had acquired.
The specific FBI site that was compromised? It’s the agency’s job portal—apply.fbijobs.gov. Instead of its usual content, visitors were greeted with an image of a Pokémon named Umbreon. The “Shiny” in the hackers’ name likely points to this rare variant within the Pokémon universe.
“This site has been seized by ShinyHunters,” they declared, mimicking the language the FBI typically uses when shutting down a site.
The message continued, “All FBI data was compromised including personally identifiable information and protected health information on current and former FBI employees and all applicant information. We have a lot more than we claim here.”
The breach not only affected the personal data of these government employees—addresses, phone numbers, and even spouses’ names—but it seems to have exposed details about the FBI’s own hacking team.
Reports indicate that the FBI’s Remote Operations Unit, comprised of the agency’s own decoders, had personal details like phone numbers revealed. 404 Media took steps to verify the hacked data by contrasting it with existing breach records, discovering, for instance, that one individual previously worked with the Secret Service.
“We hacked the FBI. We hold data on all FBI employees and applicants,” a spokesperson from the hacker group said.
Conversely, the FBI released a statement saying they are “aware of a cyber-criminal enterprise group claiming a compromise of the FBIJobs.gov portal.”
The agency responded to the breach by taking the affected subdomain offline for “scheduled maintenance.” They noted that they are still trying to determine how the breach occurred and are actively investigating the situation while collaborating with third-party providers involved with FBIJobs.gov to minimize risks.
In a twist, when asked by 404 Media if they intended to extort the FBI, ShinyHunters clarified that their actions were not exactly extortion; perhaps “coercion” would be a more fitting term, although it’s unclear what they intend to achieve.
They also argued that they aren’t driven by financial motives and dismissed the FBI’s claims that they were overstating the data they accessed.
The hackers want these allegations publicly retracted. As mentioned, 404 Media managed to verify the initial data and cross-examine it with previously released information.
