Twin brothers delete 96 government databases after being fired
Original: Twin brothers wipe 96 government databases minutes after being fired
Why This Matters
Highlights critical cybersecurity risks when employee access isn't immediately revoked
Twin brothers Muneeb and Sohaib Akhter wiped 96 US government databases minutes after being fired from their DC tech company on February 18, 2025. The brothers had previous wire fraud convictions and were caught accessing unauthorized accounts.
The Akhter twins, both 34, worked for a Washington DC firm serving 45 federal clients. They had prior convictions for wire fraud in 2015, with Muneeb serving three years and Sohaib two years in prison. Before being fired, Muneeb collected 5,400 usernames and passwords from company networks, using custom Python scripts to test them on sites like Marriott and DocuSign. He successfully accessed hundreds of accounts, sometimes booking travel with stolen airline miles. After both brothers were terminated via Teams call at 4:50 pm, Sohaib found his access revoked, but Muneeb's credentials remained active. Starting at 4:56 pm, he began systematically deleting government databases, including a Department of Homeland Security database using 'DROP DATABASE' commands.