Hackers Expose 40K DHS Employees Including Undercover Operatives

A hacktivist group called the Department of Peace compromised DHS’s single sign-on system and stole personnel records for more than 40,000 employees. The data—names, phone numbers, and addresses—was distributed to Distributed Denial of Secrets (DDoSecrets), which published it in a searchable database called Icepick. A journalist and Swiss activist created an additional searchable version showing organizational hierarchies, including supervisor and reporting relationships.

The leaked records span CBP (21,000+ employees), Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations (10,000), and other DHS agencies. The breach represents roughly a fifth of DHS’s 220,000-person workforce. The hackers stated the release was justified to level information access, arguing “they have our information, so it’s only fair that we have theirs.” Activists contended the disclosure aids government oversight and strengthens freedom of information requests. DHS acknowledged the incident and said it was working to protect affected employees.