A 24-year-old Amsterdam man was arrested by Dutch police and the FBI for allegedly leading the ShinyHunters global hacking syndicate network.
An alleged leader of the notorious global hacking syndicate ShinyHunters has been arrested in the Netherlands following a joint operation between the FBI and Dutch authorities, targeting a cybercrime network linked to high-profile attacks across the U.S. and worldwide.
Dutch police announced the arrest of a 24-year-old Amsterdam man Sept. 15 for his alleged role in the ShinyHunters hacking group and for attempting to incite two murders, with authorities noting that further arrests remain possible as they investigate seized electronic devices.
“This morning @FBI and our partners the Dutch National Police are announcing the arrest of one of the alleged leaders of ShinyHunters – a global cybercrime and threat actor group linked to cyberattacks in the United States, the Netherlands, and around the world,” FBI Director Kash Patel wrote Tuesday morning on X.
FBI WRAPS UP CYBERCRIME OPERATION TARGETING GLOBAL NETWORKS PREYING ON AMERICANS
“In coordination with FBI investigators the Dutch High-Tech Crime Unit arrested the suspect under Dutch law. As we speak FBI teams are actively working with partners to obtain and execute more leads in the ongoing investigation based on this arrest.
“Thank you to our Dutch National Police partners for their continued work with us in this case and the industry partners who shared information with us. The investigation continues.”
“The man is also suspected of attempted incitement to commit two murders,” according to a Dutch police release. “Various data carriers have been seized and are being investigated further. Further arrests are not ruled out.”
Brett Leatherman, assistant director of the FBI’s Cyber Division, made an unusually public address to the hacking group ShinyHunters, telling the cybercriminals that “we know how to find you.”
FBI WRAPS UP CYBERCRIME OPERATION TARGETING GLOBAL NETWORKS PREYING ON AMERICANS
“You know how to find us, and we know how to find you,” Leatherman said in a video statement. “I suggest you reach out first while the choice is still yours.”
Benjamin Korper of Amsterdam-based cybersecurity company Neo Security named the arrested man as Pepijn van der Stap, the company’s offensive security lead.
In a telephone interview with Reuters, Korper said Dutch forensic investigators visited his office Sept. 15, the night Van der Stap was arrested in a dramatic police raid that involved flash bang grenades.
ShinyHunters is a hacking group known for large-scale data breaches and extortion and had announced its recent theft of what it said was terabytes of sensitive personnel data from U.S. FBI servers, including intelligence assignments and medical records of employees, according to Reuters.
FBI EXTRADITES CHINESE HACKER ACCUSED OF STEALING COVID-19 RESEARCH
An internal memo circulated to staffers said the FBI was operating under the presumption that hackers stole data pertaining to all bureau employees, a source told Reuters.
In a statement, ShinyHunters said Van der Stap had “no association” with the group and that Dutch police were incompetent.
News of Van der Stap’s arrest caused a stir in the cybersecurity community.
Van der Stap’s 2023 convictions of data theft and extortion had already received widespread publicity, as did his subsequent public disavowal of cybercrime. On his personal website, Van der Stap acknowledged his journey “hasn’t been a straight line” but said his experience had taught him that “knowledge is for building and protecting, not breaking.”
FBI SAYS SOURCE OF ITS JOBS PORTAL BREACH STILL UNKNOWN AS HACKERS ALLEGE EMPLOYEE DATA COMPROMISED
Korper said he had carefully vetted Van der Stap before hiring him, monitored him during his employment, and was shocked by the arrest.
“I truly believe that people deserve a second chance, but in this case I was not thanked for it,” Korper said. “Absolutely everybody I talked to is flabbergasted.”
The executive said he had hired an outside firm to investigate whether Van der Stap had hacked Neo Security or its customers, but so far investigators have found no evidence that he acted against his employer or its clients.
Korper and Van der Stap have not been in touch since the arrest, Korper said.
Reuters contributed to this report.
85cd257c-8ef4-580f-918e-3360739c32be, fnc, Fox News, fox-news/tech/topics/fbi, fox-news/tech/topics/cybercrime, fox-news/tech/topics/hackers, fox-news/crime, fox-news/us, article
