Abstract:
Dutch police said they have arrested a 24-year-old Amsterdam man suspected of being associated with the hacker group ShinyHunters. The group has claimed responsibility for cyberattacks on Ticketmaster, Rockstar Games and, more recently, the FBI. The police arrested the man on September 15, several days before ShinyHunters claimed to have hacked into the FBI website and stolen employee information.
Neither the Dutch police nor the FBI have released the name of the suspect. However, Krebs on Security and Reuters reported that the arrested person was Dutchman Pepen van der Stap, who was sentenced in 2023 for data theft and extortion. Krebs on Security said he joined the Dutch cybersecurity company Neo Security after being released from prison last year. ShinyHunters told Reuters that Vanderstap had "no connection" with the organization.
Brett Leatherman, assistant director of the FBI's Cyber Division, said the suspect is one of the suspected leading members of the organization and issued a warning to members who are still active. He said in a video released on Tuesday that the longer members continue to engage in related activities, the more clues law enforcement will have, and recommended that they proactively contact law enforcement while the choice is still in their hands.
Dutch police also suspected that the 24-year-old man had "tried to incite two murders." FBI Director Kash Patel said that the FBI team is actively following up on more clues brought by this arrest with partners, and the investigation is still ongoing.
Learn more:
https://www.politie.nl/nieuws/2026/september/29/11-verdachte-aangehouden-in-onderzoek-naar-hackersgroep-shinyhunters.html
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