Dutch police arrest suspected ShinyHunters member
A 24-year-old Amsterdam man, reportedly convicted hacker Pepijn van der Stap, was arrested days before the group claimed its FBI hack.
By Mira Castell · Published · Updated · 4 min read
Dutch police have arrested a suspected member of ShinyHunters, the group that claimed to have stolen data on FBI staff, the BBC reports.
The arrest
- A 24-year-old man from Amsterdam was arrested on September 15 — days before the FBI attack was claimed.
- Police seized devices and found a "large amount of information", including details of two murders abroad they suspect he may have ordered. He is also suspected of attempted incitement to commit murder.
- FBI cyber official Brett Leatherman called the suspect one of the group's alleged leaders, The Verge reports.
Who is the suspect?
Sources told Krebs on Security the man is Pepijn van der Stap, who was convicted in 2023 for data theft and extortion under the handle "Umbreon". ShinyHunters told Reuters he has "no association" with the group.
Krebs also reports that remaining members escalated attacks after the arrest, including the FBI data theft and extorting the Cl0p ransomware gang.
Why it matters
ShinyHunters is linked to attacks on Ticketmaster, Rockstar Games and many others. Arrests rarely end loose collectives like this, but seized devices often lead to further arrests.
