Dutch man arrested in ShinyHunters cybercrime investigation

The FBI and Dutch National Police have announced the arrest of a Dutch man accused of being one of the leaders of ShinyHunters, a global cybercrime group linked to cyberattacks in the United States, the Netherlands and other countries.

The suspect was arrested under Dutch law by the Dutch High-Tech Crime Unit in coordination with FBI investigators. FBI teams are continuing to pursue additional leads as part of the ongoing investigation.

FBI Assistant Director Brett Leatherman, who heads the FBI’s Cyber Division, said the arrest should serve as a warning to other cybercriminals.

“Other groups believed anonymity or their friends would protect them, and they were wrong,” Leatherman said in a video posted to X on Tuesday. “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.”

The FBI thanked Dutch authorities and industry partners for providing information that helped advance the investigation.

The Jerusalem Post also reported that an internal FBI memo said officials were operating under the assumption that every employee had been exposed, citing earlier Reuters reporting.

ShinyHunters says it does not plan to publicly release sensitive information allegedly stolen in a major FBI data breach, though it cannot guarantee what may happen to data already shared.

The group, which has been linked to numerous cyberattacks, said the breach was intended to challenge what it called misinformation in an FBI report about its tactics. ShinyHunters denied seeking a ransom and said it had never intended to publish the FBI data.

ShinyHunters told CBC News that its actions targeting the FBI were part of a campaign to “combat disinformation” about the group’s methods.

The group disputed claims in an FBI report issued in May that alleged ShinyHunters had threatened the families of targets and threatened to release embarrassing or compromising images of victims. ShinyHunters denied using such tactics and, following last Tuesday’s data breach, gave the FBI one week to remove or “correct” the report.