Twin brothers wipe 96 US gov databases minutes after being fired

On February 18, 2025, twin brothers Muneeb and Sohaib Akhter, both 34, were fired from a Washington, DC firm that provided software and services to 45 federal clients. The termination meeting ended at 4:50 pm. While Sohaib’s access was immediately revoked, Muneeb’s account remained active. At 4:56 pm, he accessed a US government database maintained by his former employer, issued commands to block other users, and then deleted the database. Over the next hour, he used the command “DROP DATABASE dhsproddb” to wipe a Department of Homeland Security database and destroyed 96 databases containing US government information. He also downloaded 1,805 files from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and federal tax data for at least 450 people, saving everything to a USB drive.

During the rampage, the brothers exchanged messages. Sohaib watched Muneeb’s screen and suggested deleting the filesystem as well—calling it a “smart idea.” Muneeb dismissed the damage, saying “they can recover from yesterday,” referring to daily backups. He also asked an AI tool how to clear SQL server logs and Windows event logs. Their criminal history includes 2015 wire fraud and computer crime convictions; Muneeb served three years, Sohaib two. They now face new federal charges for unauthorized database destruction and identity theft. This incident highlights major security failures: an employee with a known criminal record was allowed to retain system access post-termination, and sensitive government data was left vulnerable.