FBI Director Kash Patel/Image: AP
Reuters previously reported that the contractor worked for Accenture.
A New York Times report, citing people familiar with the matter, says the FBI arrested Edward Dubrovsky in Pennsylvania. Dubrovsky specialises in negotiating ransom payments with cybercriminals, according to his LinkedIn profile. Dubrovsky faces a conspiracy-to-commit-extortion charge, according to federal court records in Philadelphia, while the details of the charges remain under seal in Texas. Brett Leatherman, assistant director of the FBI’s cyber division, said an internal review traced the incident to a security failure involving a third-party platform. A contractor had failed to implement a security patch specifically issued to protect the system, according to the bureau.
FBI has arrested a Canadian cybersecurity expert. He is suspected of helping carry out a cyberattack that exposed sensitive information about thousands of FBI employees. The arrest is part of the bureau’s efforts to pursue members of the ShinyHunters hacking group, which claimed responsibility for stealing personal information from the FBI’s jobs portal. He is expected to be transported to Texas to face the charges. Security researchers describe ShinyHunters as a loose network of English-speaking hackers operating across several countries. The group has targeted organisations through third-party vendors and cloud-based platforms, often seeking payments in exchange for promises not to release stolen information.