According to an informed source, the FBI terminated its relationship with an Accenture subcontractor following a security lapse that potentially compromised confidential data belonging to thousands of agency staff. The hacking group ShinyHunters said it carried out the intrusion in the previous month and reported that the pilfered records contained staff home addresses, telephone numbers and spouse information. Additionally, the incident uncovered classified details concerning workers’ intelligence and surveillance duties together with personal medical information.
Why the breach occurred
The source, who requested anonymity due to the delicate nature of the matter, explained that Accenture handles the FBI’s software patching and the upkeep of bespoke code. Oracle, the vendor of the PeopleSoft system that ShinyHunters alleged as the entry vector, supplied the necessary security updates, which were never applied, the source said. In comments to Nextgov/FCW, FBI cyber-security director Brett Leatherman affirmed that an unidentified subcontractor had been dismissed.
“To date, our review has determined that the incident occurred as the result of a security failure of a platform managed by a third-party organization — after a contractor failed to implement a security patch explicitly issued to secure the platform,” Leatherman said. “As such, the FBI has removed the contractor and taken all necessary steps to both mitigate any further risk and protect our workforce.”
Risks and responses
The breach creates significant counter-intelligence concerns, as the leaked files may enable hostile foreign services to pinpoint personnel involved in classified probes and misuse their personal details. While ShinyHunters asserted it would not release the compromised material, the group did not confirm that the data had been erased. Retired Lieutenant General Robert Skinner, former head of the Defense Information Systems Agency, informed Nextgov/FCW in the prior week that the actors might still market portions or the entirety of the information to foreign intelligence agencies or other purchasers.
Law enforcement agencies have also taken action against alleged participants. The Dutch police disclosed in the previous week that they had taken into custody a presumed leader of the ring, and Reuters indicated on Saturday that a second suspect, Saif al-Din Khader, was held in Jordan and cooperating with investigators to identify additional hackers.
