US Government Contractor Sohaib Akhter Convicted of Destroying 96 Federal Databases in Retaliation Scheme

A Virginia jury has convicted Sohaib Akhter, a former software contractor for the US government, on charges tied to the systematic deletion of approximately 96 databases containing federal data—a breach prosecutors say unfolded just days before he and his twin brother were terminated from their positions. Akhter now faces decades in prison for his role in the destruction, which targeted systems serving at least 45 government agencies.

Court documents reveal that on February 1, 2025, Sohaib and his brother Muneeb Akhter, both 34, allegedly conspired to access the account of an individual who had submitted a complaint through the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's public portal. According to the Justice Department, Muneeb requested the complainant's plaintext password from Sohaib, who provided it. Muneeb then used those credentials to gain unauthorized access to the account. The brothers were fired on February 18, 2025, after their employer discovered the activity. Prosecutors have not disclosed the motive behind the account access, though the timing suggests a possible connection to an internal employment dispute.

The conviction underscores significant vulnerabilities in contractor access to sensitive government systems. The unnamed software supplier maintained contracts with dozens of federal agencies, amplifying the potential scope of the damage. While the full extent of the data loss remains unclear, the case highlights the risks posed by insider threats within the federal contractor ecosystem. Sohaib Akhter's sentencing will determine whether the database destruction and unauthorized access yield one of the most severe penalties ever imposed on a government contractor for insider sabotage.