Reported ShinyHunters member detained in Jordan is aiding FBI probe
The reported cooperation could help investigators identify more people linked to ShinyHunters after months of FBI pressure.
Reuters, as cited by BleepingComputer, says a suspected ShinyHunters member known as Rey was detained in Jordan this week and is now helping the FBI and other law-enforcement agencies identify additional people in the group. Sources told Reuters that he has been going through his devices and communications to help locate alleged co-conspirators. The reported arrest comes after the FBI’s public pressure campaign against ShinyHunters, which followed the group’s claimed breach of FBI systems in September and earlier arrests tied to the investigation. Around the same time as Rey’s reported detention, parts of the gang’s infrastructure went quiet, including an affiliate’s messaging account and the main data-leak site, although a new leak site later appeared online. The reporting also says Rey has been tied to several other theft and extortion incidents, including attacks on Telefónica, Orange, and Jaguar Land Rover.
Why it matters
If the report is accurate, investigators may get a clearer view of who is connected to ShinyHunters and how the group is organised. That matters because the case has already drawn FBI pressure and appeared to continue even after disruption to the group’s leak infrastructure, with a new site later appearing online.
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Sources
- BleepingComputer