A common sign of impending termination is the loss of access to company user accounts and services. Credentials are typically deactivated just before dismissal to prevent malicious actions like data theft or damage. However, a remarkable case involves twin brothers who, after being fired, managed to delete 96 databases containing government data shortly thereafter.
This is the account of Muneeb and Sohaib Akhter, both 34 years old. They had prior criminal records, including an electronic fraud case in 2025 that resulted in a 3-year prison sentence for Muneeb and a 2-year sentence for Sohaib. After serving their time, they reportedly reformed. In 2023, Muneeb secured employment with a Washington D.C. company that provided software and services to 45 federal clients nationwide. Sohaib joined the same company in 2024, marking the beginning of this incident.
Twin Brothers Erase 96 Government Databases Post-Termination
On February 1, 2025, Muneeb requested a plaintext password from Sohaib for an individual who had filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Sohaib queried the EEOC database and saved the password, which would later be used to sow chaos. The company was reportedly preparing to terminate their employment due to their past offenses. After their dismissal on February 18, 2025, they initiated their revenge.
Within just 5 minutes, Sohaib attempted to log in but found his VPN and Windows account deactivated. Meanwhile, Muneeb successfully accessed a U.S. government database maintained by the company from which they had been fired. Leveraging his administrator privileges, he prevented other users from connecting or modifying the database. Just 8 minutes after being terminated, Muneeb deleted the database of the Department of Homeland Security. At the 9-minute mark, he consulted AI on how to erase SQL server logs after deleting the database, as well as all Windows Server 2012 logs.
One Twin Wrote Letters from Prison to Persuade the Judge
Within 1 hour of being fired, Muneeb had managed to delete 96 databases, download 1,805 files from the EEOC, and obtain information on 450 individuals. The brothers had meticulously planned their actions to inflict maximum damage in the shortest possible time. After wiping the databases and logs with AI assistance, they reinstalled the operating systems on the company’s laptops, reportedly with the help of an anonymous accomplice.
Authorities took three weeks to raid Sohaib’s property in Alexandria, where they discovered computers, along with 7 firearms and 370 rounds of .30 caliber ammunition – items he should not have possessed given his prior convictions. Months later, they were arrested. Muneeb admitted to the charges, while Sohaib fought them and lost. From prison, Muneeb penned letters to the judge, asserting his innocence and claiming his lawyer’s inadequacy.
