Dutch Police Arrest Suspected Shinyhunters Leader
A 24-year-old Amsterdam man faces a ShinyHunters-related investigation and a separate inquiry into alleged plans for two murders.
Dutch police arrested a 24-year-old Amsterdam man suspected of participating in ShinyHunters, a hacking group linked to attacks on major organizations. The FBI describes him as one of the group’s alleged leaders. Dutch authorities are separately investigating whether he tried to arrange two murders abroad.
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The arrest and allegations
Police arrested the man on September 15, according to The Verge and TechCrunch. Dutch authorities have not publicly named him. TechCrunch reports that he was scheduled to appear in court on September 29 and has been remanded into custody for at least 90 days.
Dutch police say the ShinyHunters investigation concerns suspected participation in a criminal organization. They also say information found on the man’s seized laptop concerned two murders to be committed abroad. The resulting investigation into whether he attempted to orchestrate them is separate from the ShinyHunters case, TechCrunch reports.
Security journalist Brian Krebs and other outlets have identified the arrested man as Pepijn van der Stap, according to TechCrunch. The Verge reports that Reuters and Krebs identified him and that he was convicted of data theft and extortion in 2023. ShinyHunters denied any connection to van der Stap when asked by both Reuters, as reported by The Verge, and TechCrunch.
ShinyHunters and the FBI claim
The FBI and Dutch law enforcement say ShinyHunters is responsible for hacks affecting more than 140 organizations worldwide, according to TechCrunch. Dutch authorities have linked the group to breaches involving Ticketmaster, AT&T and Pornhub. The group has also claimed responsibility for attacks on Rockstar Games and Dutch phone provider Odido. Police say the Amsterdam man was not arrested in connection with the Odido attack.
The arrest preceded ShinyHunters’ claim that it had breached the FBI’s careers website and job application portal. TechCrunch reports that the group said it obtained sensitive information about agents and applicants. The FBI has not publicly confirmed a breach, and the reports do not establish that the arrested man was involved in the alleged FBI incident. ShinyHunters told TechCrunch it did not intend to publish the FBI data and said its purpose was to dispute allegations made against it.
In a video cited by both outlets, Brett Leatherman, the FBI’s cyber division lead, called the suspect an alleged ShinyHunters leader and said the bureau would continue pursuing other members. FBI Director Kash Patel said investigators were working with partners on further leads, according to The Verge.
Why applicants may be watching
For job candidates, the FBI claim raises a question about the security of information submitted through hiring portals. TechCrunch reports that the bureau had told agents and employees their personal information was exposed in a cybersecurity incident. Whether the group obtained applicant data through the careers portal remains unconfirmed by the FBI.
Sources
This story was compiled by AI from the reports below. Read the originals for the full details.