Hackers expose the identities of more than 40k DHS employees

A hacking group called the Department of Peace says it breached the Department of Homeland Security’s single sign-on system and obtained personnel records identifying more than 40,000 employees and associates. The information, which includes names, phone numbers and addresses, was shared with Distributed Denial of Secrets and published in a database called Icepick. Journalist Ryan Ottignon and Swiss hacker maia arson crimew also built a searchable database from the material. More than 21,000 records concern Customs and Border Protection employees, while about 10,000 relate to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations. The exposed records include people connected to undercover work, though the database covers only about a fifth of DHS’s workforce of more than 220,000.

The breach has prompted concern about risks to exposed personnel, alongside arguments that identifying officials could strengthen public oversight. DHS said it was aware of a potential breach and was taking steps to address it and protect those affected. DDoSecrets cofounder Emma Best described the leak as significant because it links officials overseeing covert operations with personnel involved in deportation and rendition programs. Supporters say names and contact details can help researchers investigate DHS and submit more targeted public-records requests, which often fail without such specifics. Ottignon rejected claims that the project amounted to doxing, arguing that public officials’ efforts to conceal their identities while carrying out operations against communities make disclosure a form of oversight. The breach follows similar attacks on the FBI and is described as an unprecedented exposure of intelligence.