What drives ShinyHunters, the group that claimed responsibility for hacking the FBI?

CBC News reports that ShinyHunters has been active since at least 2019 and is known as one of the most prolific data theft and extortion groups[1]. According to CBC, the group says it is not asking for money[1] this time.Ian Lin of Packetlabs told CBC that "Every time they compromise something, they really want a big bang."[1] CBC reports that he still sees the group as mostly financially motivated and not driven by a particular ideology or worldview[1].Former FBI official Cynthia Kaiser told CBC that the group likes picking "incredibly large" targets and wanting to show off what they can do[2].A ShinyHunters spokesperson told The Register that the hack was meant "to contest the allegations made against ShinyHunters in their May 2026 FLASH report."[3] Infosecurity Magazine reports that the group objected to claims in the PSA that it exaggerates access to sensitive information in order to extract payment[4].According to NBC News, a Justice Department notice says the affected system holds sensitive personal information, including Social Security numbers[5].CBC News later reported that a ShinyHunters representative said the group was never planning to release the sensitive data[6]. Lin told CBC that he does not have high hopes ShinyHunters will keep their word[7].NBC News reports that Dutch police arrested a 24-year-old Amsterdam man suspected of being a ShinyHunters hacker on Sept. 15.[5]