DHS Employee Data Leak Exposes Sensitive Details

Distributed Denial of Secrets, a leak-publishing website, says it has released personal and professional information on more than 40,000 employees of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The data reportedly includes names, phone numbers, email addresses, job titles and email groups for staff across agencies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Some records may identify personnel involved in sensitive work, including surveillance, special operations, computer forensics and undercover assignments. DHS said it was aware of a potential breach, was working to address it and to protect employees, and would share more information when available. Distributed Denial of Secrets said the data came from an entity calling itself the Department of Peace. That entity said it wanted the information to limit harm by DHS, while the leak site's co-founder Emma Best argued that a public search tool could support journalism, public-records requests and congressional oversight. The Department of Peace did not respond to a request for comment. The report places the disclosure amid other recent breaches affecting U.S. government personnel. In September, the hacking group ShinyHunters claimed to have stolen FBI employee information, including job and medical details. The U.S. War Department also faced a class-action lawsuit after a breach that exposed information about millions of current and former military personnel. The Department of Peace had previously claimed responsibility for hacking DHS and publishing documents about outside-vendor contracts. Best said the newly released information was harvested from DHS's Okta sign-on service. Okta stated it had no evidence that its systems or data were compromised, and Reuters could not independently corroborate the source claim or verify the entire dataset. However, Reuters matched information about six named DHS employees against other records and confirmed details with three employees directly. Some information was publicly available, including on LinkedIn, while other material appeared to reveal non-public organizational details and previously undisclosed programs or operations.

A hacktivist group calling itself the Department of Peace has allegedly exposed information about more than 41,000 Department of Homeland Security officials. The database appeared late Wednesday on Distributed Denial of Secrets, a nonprofit website that publishes leaked material. The group claims the information came from an Okta single sign-on service used by DHS. CNBC said it accessed the searchable database and saw what appeared to be employee names, offices, contact information, assignments, phone numbers, email addresses, and managers. Distributed Denial of Secrets cautioned that the material was not a comprehensive list of DHS employees. Its cofounder, Emma Best, described the database, named Icepick, as identifying many people involved in DHS policy and operations rather than serving as a directory of all staff. Okta did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment. DHS also did not immediately respond, but told The Washington Post it was aware of a potential breach and working to address it swiftly and effectively. The database appears to include staff from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Customs and Border Protection, and DHS headquarters. The hacker group said it released the information in response to reports that DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin had said ICE would intensify immigration arrests and traffic stops. The article places the alleged breach amid increased opposition to President Donald Trump’s efforts during his second term to expand arrests and deportations of suspected undocumented immigrants. It notes that ICE agents have been documented using physical force during operations. The Migration Policy Institute estimates that DHS completed 980,000 deportations in the first 18 months of Trump’s term.

A data leak has exposed personal and professional details belonging to more than 40,000 employees of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including staff involved in surveillance, intelligence and undercover operations. The information was published on Wednesday by Distributed Denial of Secrets, a nonprofit data transparency group. The group said it received the data from an entity calling itself “Department of Peace” and from journalist and hacktivist maia arson crimew. DHS confirmed it was aware of a potential breach and said it was working to address the situation, with further updates to come as more information becomes available. The leaked records reportedly include names, phone numbers and email addresses of employees across Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, US Citizenship and Immigration Services, Homeland Security Investigations, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and other DHS agencies. Distributed Denial of Secrets also made an online search tool available to examine the data. Co-founder Emma Best defended publication, saying it could bring accountability to personnel involved in what she described as the department’s expanding rendition and deportation programs, and support journalism and congressional oversight. Reuters independently checked details by calling three employees listed in the data and confirming their phone numbers and other information. The report places the incident amid the Trump administration’s increased immigration enforcement. DHS said in September it was initiating a “surge in sanctuary cities,” while the Migration Policy Institute has reported that the department expanded arrests and deportations in recent months. The leak is described as the third major US government data breach in recent weeks. The Defense Department faced a class-action lawsuit last week over a breach affecting millions of current and former military personnel; in September, the hacking group ShinyHunters claimed it had stolen data belonging to thousands of FBI employees.