Florida DMV Investigates Data Breach After Criminals Used Law Enforcement Credentials

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) is investigating unauthorized access to departmental systems after criminals obtained credentials belonging to Florida law enforcement personnel.

FLHSMV said the credentials were improperly stored on electronic devices. The agency’s mitigation measures include “blocking unauthorized access, resetting relevant user credentials, engaging cybersecurity experts, and implementing additional safeguards to protect sensitive information.”

Shiny Hunters May Be Behind Florida DMV Breach

The investigation remains ongoing. Officials said the data may have been stolen by a cybercriminal group known as Shiny Hunters, which recently claimed responsibility for hacking the FBI.

Last month, NBC Miami reported that Shiny Hunters claimed on a dark web forum to have hacked the Florida DMV. The group gave authorities a deadline of September 11 to negotiate a payment to stop the alleged data breach.

To support its claim, Shiny Hunters posted a photo of what NBC Miami described as the purported driver’s license of Jeffrey Epstein, the late financier and convicted former Florida sex offender.

Shortly after NBC Miami published its report, Shiny Hunters edited the post to remove all references to Florida. Ian Gray, vice president of intelligence at threat monitoring firm Flashpoint, told NBC Miami that the change could indicate Florida authorities were negotiating with the group to prevent the database from being compromised.

FLHSMV Did Not Confirm Shiny Hunters’ Claim

FLHSMV did not mention Shiny Hunters in its announcement and did not respond to NBC Miami’s questions about the dark web posts. The agency said it would provide updates as more information becomes available.

According to the agency’s data breach FAQ, “criminals obtained unauthorized access to departmental systems” after obtaining credentials from Florida law enforcement personnel and finding that the credentials had been improperly stored on electronic devices.

Florida Breach Appears Unrelated to IDscan.net Hack

NBC Miami reported that the Florida DMV incident appears to be unrelated to last month’s massive breach involving 153 million U.S. driver’s licenses and a company called IDscan.net.

However, both incidents demonstrate how exposed personal information can become when criminals gain access to systems containing driver’s license data. NBC Miami also noted that advances in artificial intelligence and simpler vulnerability-scanning tools could make it easier for attackers to identify and exploit weaknesses.