FBI removes Accenture contractor after damaging breach exposed bureau employees' data

The FBI removed an Accenture contractor on Monday over their role in a damaging data breach that exposed sensitive personal details of thousands of bureau employees, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters (https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/business/accenture-contractor-removed-from-fbi-following-damaging-data-breach-sources-say/articleshow/134720470.cms).

In a statement to Reuters, FBI cyber chief Brett Leatherman said the incident “occurred as the result of a security failure of a platform managed by a third-party organization — after a contractor failed to implement a security patch explicitly issued to secure the platform.” The bureau has removed the contractor and taken steps to mitigate further risk, he said, without identifying the platform or the third-party organisation.

The two sources said the platform was Oracle’s PeopleSoft, a human-resources system that the hacking group ShinyHunters said it exploited to break into the FBI’s jobs site last month, and that the third-party organisation was Accenture; Reuters could not identify the specific contractor or determine their current employment status (https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/business/accenture-contractor-removed-from-fbi-following-damaging-data-breach-sources-say/articleshow/134720470.cms).

Accenture said it was “proud to support the mission of the FBI and will continue to do so”, without answering questions about the contractor or the alleged failure to patch. Oracle did not immediately reply to a request for comment.