FBI official tells hackers to get in touch, says 'we know how to find you'

In a video address ​posted to X on Tuesday, FBI Assistant Director Brett Leatherman ​said the recent arrest of a Dutch man in connection with ⁠the ShinyHunters investigation should serve as a warning.

"Other groups believed anonymity ​or their friends would protect them, and they were wrong," said Leatherman, ​who leads the FBI's Cyber Division. "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."

Although couched as a threat, Leatherman's request to open ​a channel of communication between law enforcement and the hackers is the latest indication ‌of ⁠just how seriously the bureau is taking the breach, which has compromised sensitive medical records, Social Security numbers, family information, and intelligence-related details of named FBI staffers.

An internal memo distributed across the FBI said ​officials were operating ​under the assumption ⁠that every employee had been exposed, Reuters has previously reported.

ShinyHunters did not immediately return a message seeking ​comment. The group initially gave the bureau a week ​to retract ⁠an advisory about the hackers that ShinyHunters took exception to — a period of time that expired on Tuesday. The hackers have since said the ultimatum ⁠was ​not a deadline or a threat and ​they had no intention of publishing the data.

"This was all a marketing campaign," the group ​said on Monday.