DHS Investigates a Leak Exposing About 40,000 Employees, Including Roughly 10,000 ICE Staff and Several Undercover Agents
Fox News, citing sources, says a group calling itself the Department of Peace claimed the data and a transparency site published it. DHS confirms it is aware of a potential breach.
The Department of Homeland Security is looking into a leak of personal details on tens of thousands of its workers, Fox News reports, citing sources familiar with the data.
What was exposed. Sources told Fox the data may include names, titles, locations and, in some cases, phone numbers and email addresses for about 40,000 DHS employees and contractors. That includes roughly 10,000 ICE personnel and records tied to more than 20,000 Customs and Border Protection employees, including Border Patrol. Sources called it a "catastrophic" security incident. Multiple sources confirmed that portions of the data are authentic, and Fox says it independently confirmed that the records name several undercover ICE agents working in different parts of the country.
Who is behind it. An anti-fascist hacking group calling itself the "Department of Peace" claimed responsibility. In its own statement it said DHS employees "have our information, so it's only fair that we have theirs." The transparency site Distributed Denial of Secrets said Wednesday that it had released the information. Its co-founder, Emma Best, said a search tool was built so the public can look through the data, and that it would "replace anonymity with accountability."
The department's response. A DHS spokesperson told Fox: "DHS is aware of a potential breach and is actively working to address the situation swiftly and effectively." The statement added that the department takes security threats against its employees seriously, will work to make sure all are properly protected, and will update the public when more is known.
Context. Fox notes the report follows a Pentagon personnel database breach last month that exposed information on more than 2.76 million living military and civilian personnel and 294,000 deceased individuals, according to a Pentagon official.
Note for readers: the size of the leak and the number of ICE and CBP staff are sources' estimates as relayed by Fox. We have not seen the data and are not linking to it.