FBI arrests Canadian suspect linked to ShinyHunters hack of its jobs portal

The Federal Bureau of Investigation announced Friday that it has arrested a suspect believed to be connected to the ShinyHunters hacking group, which compromised the bureau's jobs website and accessed personal data of employees. The individual, identified as a Canadian citizen, was detained in Pennsylvania, according to a U.S. official and another source briefed on the case.

FBI Director Kash Patel said the arrest is part of a broader effort to dismantle the network and protect Americans from cybercrime. "This is the latest arrest this FBI has made in a matter of days involving this network, as we work non-stop to dismantle the group, pursue new leads and evidence, and act quickly," Patel said in a statement.

Law-enforcement sources indicated that other suspected co-conspirators remain at large. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police confirmed awareness of the arrest but declined to comment on the investigation.

The breach, which occurred in September, involved the theft of an estimated two to three terabytes of data from the FBI's Oracle PeopleSoft-based human-resources system. An internal review later found that a contractor failed to apply a required security patch; the contractor, an employee of Accenture, was removed from the project. Assistant Director Brett Leatherman said the agency has taken steps to mitigate further risk and protect its workforce.

The arrest follows a series of recent detentions of individuals alleged to be linked to ShinyHunters, including a Jordanian national arrested by authorities in Jordan and a 24-year-old arrested in Amsterdam.