A data breach at the FBI has gone from bad to worse for agency Director Kash Patel, who is presiding over a still-unfolding disaster that’s threatening to engulf the entire Department of Justice.
Cybercriminals hacked the FBI’s job portal in September.
The initial hack was bad enough. The FBI found that the hackers stole the personal information of thousands of FBI agents, according to Politico. The stolen data included Social Security numbers, addresses, phone numbers, birth dates and emergency contacts.
Now Politico reports that a new memo suggests hackers may also have accessed employees’ FBI background checks across the DOJ.
On Oct. 30, the Director of the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, Francey Hakes, sent out a new memo. The letter warns that the same hackers may have gotten ahold of the personal information of DOJ workers in U.S. attorney offices as well, Politico reported.
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The note says the FBI’s job portal contains sensitive data on the background checks of all Justice Department employees and those applying for jobs with the agency.
Many workers haven’t been notified yet.
“The FBI is working diligently to analyze the data and validate the contact information of individuals impacted by this compromise to enable prompt notifications,” the agency said in a statement according to Politico.
“Prudential notifications are being sent to impacted employees and other individuals on a rolling basis and formal notifications will continue to be sent when FBI confirms the specific data of each individual impacted,” the statement added.
The news outlet reported that the cybercriminal group ShinyHunters claimed responsibility for the breach.
Now there’s real concern that federal workers could be at risk from the hack. Politico talked to a DOJ prosecutor on condition of anonymity.
“There are violent criminals with axes to grind against prosecutors, FBI agents and other people involved in criminal investigations,” the prosecutor said.
“And if this leak expands to all FBI background checks, that means there’s information about where prosecutors and their families live, and their names. So the biggest concern is safety,” they added.
Patel has racked up a myriad of missteps and cringe-worthy public incidents in less than 17 months as FBI director.
This isn’t the first hack Patel has been at the center of in his short tenure leading the FBI.
Hackers linked to Iran broke into Patel’s personal email account, stole photos and other personal documents, then posted them online, according to numerous news organizations and confirmed by both the bureau and the pro-Palestinian hacker group Handala Hack Team.
Handala said Patel “will now find his name among the list of successfully hacked victims,” Reuters reported.
The items the group published include goofy photos of Patel smoking and sniffing a cigar, standing next to a red convertible, a selfie of the FBI chief smiling and holding a large bottle of rum, additional selfies, a resume, and other documents.
Reports indicate Handala hacked Patel’s Gmail account, which hackers also breached in 2024. Reuters confirmed through a dark web intelligence firm that the address matches those targeted in previous attacks.
So the FBI director continued using an account that hackers had breached at least once before, and possibly more.
Patel has also been dogged by allegations of “excessive drinking” and “unexplained absences.”
The Atlantic reported last April that FBI agents brought “breaching equipment” to check on Patel at his Washington home. The story alleged he had been drinking and was absent from work.
Earlier this year, Patel lost access to the FBI’s computer and thought President Donald Trump had fired him.
