The FBI has arrested a Pennsylvania suspect allegedly connected to ShinyHunters, the hacking group that targeted Rockstar Games and later breached the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The group attacked Rockstar in April and published financial information after reportedly failing to secure a ransom from the studio. The material offered an unusual glimpse into the money generated by games including Grand Theft Auto Online.
In September, ShinyHunters escalated its activity by targeting the FBI. Personal information belonging to current and former employees, along with people who had applied to work for the agency, was stolen.
FBI arrest follows an earlier Dutch operation
The FBI announced the Pennsylvania arrest on Friday. Sources told The New York Times that the unnamed suspect was a “primary co-conspirator” in the FBI breach. Authorities have not released the suspect’s name or confirmed the specific charges.
The arrest follows a separate operation last month, when Dutch authorities detained one of ShinyHunters’ leaders. The Dutch National Police took one of ShinyHunters’ leaders into custody.
“We will continue to work closely with our partners to disrupt what’s left of the ShinyHunters group and their associates, no matter where they operate,” FBI director Kash Patel said.
Rockstar faces a wider wave of attacks and leaks
Rockstar and the FBI are only two of the group’s reported targets in 2026. ShinyHunters has also gone after GrubHub, the European Commission, JCPenney and Carnival Cruise, among other organisations.
FBI cyber division assistant director Brett Leatherman previously said the group had extorted more than $70 million after breaching over 140 institutions since the previous year.
Rockstar appeared to be relatively restrained in its response to the ShinyHunters incident, but the studio has been far more vocal about a separate series of Grand Theft Auto 6 leaks.
Cyberleeks published gameplay footage in August, ahead of an extended look at the game on Netflix. Another leaked video appeared this week and showed Jason celebrating his birthday in explicit detail.
Rockstar described the leaks as “heartbreaking for our team” and said they were not how it intended players to see the game after such a long wait.
GTA 6 release remains scheduled for November
Players will not have to rely on leaked footage indefinitely. Grand Theft Auto 6 is scheduled to launch on Nov. 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.
For more gaming-industry coverage, visit the RETROCADE Arcade Blog, or explore the arcade video archive. Readers planning a dedicated gaming setup can also use the arcade machine buying guide.
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