Leak website releases data on DHS employees

Distributed Denial of Secrets released a searchable trove of information on more than 40,000 Department of Homeland Security employees, allegedly obtained by a group calling itself “Department of Peace.” The records include names, phone numbers, email addresses, job titles and internal email groups across agencies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security Investigations and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Some details identify personnel assigned to surveillance, special operations, computer forensics and undercover work. The group behind the release said it intended to make DHS more accountable, aid journalists and public-records requests, and support congressional oversight; Department of Peace said it hoped the information would help limit harm by the department.

The disclosure follows other recent government data breaches involving the FBI and Defense Department. The data transparency group said the material was harvested from DHS’s Okta sign-on service, but that claim was not independently confirmed, and Okta said it had no evidence its systems or data were compromised. The full trove’s authenticity also remains unverified. However, reporters matched personal information for six employees against credit bureau and dark-web breach records, and confirmed phone numbers and other details by contacting three employees. Some information was already public, including details mirrored on LinkedIn, while other records appeared to reveal nonpublic DHS organizational structures and previously undisclosed programs or operations.