Data breach allegedly exposes details of over 40,000 DHS employees

A massive data breach has allegedly exposed the personal information of over 40,000 officials from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The database was posted on the news leak website Distributed Denial of Secrets (DDoS) and is reportedly searchable.

Details of the alleged breach

The database was allegedly obtained from an Okta single sign-on service used by the DHS. According to reports from CNBC and Fox News, the leaked information appears to include:

• Employee names and titles
• Office locations and assignments
• Contact information, including email addresses and phone numbers
• Information regarding managers

Fox News reported that the leak includes the names of several undercover ICE agents working in various parts of the country. The data reportedly includes records for approximately 10,000 ICE personnel and more than 20,000 U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) employees, including Border Patrol personnel.

Claims of responsibility

A hacking group calling itself the "Department of Peace" has claimed responsibility for the leak. In a statement, the group said DHS employees "have our information, so it's only fair that we have theirs" and expressed hope that the data "can be used to limit further harm by the DHS and supports all efforts in that direction."

DDoS co-founder Emma Best stated that the tool developed to search the data would "replace anonymity with accountability." Best also noted that the leak "identifies many of the architects and drivers of DHS policy and operations."

DHS response

The Department of Homeland Security is investigating the incident. A DHS spokesperson told Fox News, "DHS is aware of a potential breach and is actively working to address the situation swiftly and effectively." The spokesperson added, "We take all security threats against our employees and officers seriously and will work to ensure all are properly protected."

Why it matters

The breach follows a previous incident involving a Pentagon personnel database, which a Pentagon official confirmed to Fox News exposed sensitive information belonging to more than 2.76 million living U.S. military and civilian personnel and 294,000 deceased individuals.

---

Sources

• cnbc.com: U.S. DHS officials' details apparently exposed in massive data breach
• foxnews.com: DHS investigates data breach that may have doxxed 40,000 employees | Fox News

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.