Accenture contractor removed from FBI after unpatched system led to breach
October 6, 2026 - 8:23 am
An Accenture (discover more) contractor has been removed from FBI work following a breach that exposed the personal data of thousands of bureau staff.
Reuters reported on Monday, citing two people familiar with the matter. A senior FBI official confirmed to Reuters that an unnamed contractor had not applied a security patch to a system in their care.
The bureau did not name the company or the platform, and we have not independently verified the report. "As such, the FBI has removed the contractor and taken all necessary steps to both mitigate any further risk and protect our workforce," the official told Reuters.
Reuters’ sources revealed that the platform was Oracle PeopleSoft, a human resources system, and the third party responsible for it was Accenture.
ShinyHunters, a group that steals data and demands payment, claimed last month that it had used a PeopleSoft flaw to breach the FBI’s jobs portal. At the time, they said they held data on almost all FBI agents and applicants.
Accenture stated to Reuters that they were proud to support the FBI and would continue to do so. However, the firm did not respond to questions regarding the contractor or the missed patch. The group claimed the attack was an act of revenge, not a money-grabbing scheme. They demanded the FBI correct an advisory about their methods instead of paying a ransom.
The breach is considered a significant blow to the FBI's operational security by former agents, according to Reuters. Two members of ShinyHunters have since been arrested, while the FBI continues to assess the extent of the damage.