40,000 DHS staff records leaked after sign-on system breach
The Department of Peace claims it accessed personnel files through a single sign-on vulnerability, exposing data on agents and operatives.
By Petra Murphy ·
Hackers released the names, phone numbers, and addresses of more than 40,000 U.S. Department of Homeland Security employees on Wednesday. The data includes information on agents, operatives, and associates involved in undercover operations.
The group identified as the Department of Peace said it accessed the files by compromising the DHS single sign-on system. In an online statement, a spokesperson said, "On July 17th, Markwayne Mullin said he was 'turning up the heat.' This is what happens to ICE when you do that."
The stolen material was sent to the group Distributed Denial of Secrets, which posted it in a database named Icepick. The Department of Peace also shared the data with journalist Ryan Ottignon and a Swiss hacker known as maia arson crimew. Ottignon said crimew handled the technical work to create a searchable online database.
Emma Best, a cofounder of DDoSecrets, described the leak as "extraordinary but deceptive in its simplicity." She said it connects officials overseeing covert operations with key personnel in DHS rendition and deportation programs. Other activists noted the data could help those filing freedom of information requests by providing specific names and email addresses.
The leaked records contain data for more than 21,000 U.S. Customs and Border Protection employees. Another 10,000 records belong to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its Homeland Security Investigations unit. This total represents about one-fifth of the agency's workforce, which numbers a little more than 220,000 people.
DHS stated it is "aware of a potential breach and is actively working to address the situation swiftly and effectively." The department added that it is taking steps to "ensure all are properly protected."
Ottignon rejected claims that the release amounts to doxing. He said public officials often hide their identities in plain clothes while performing actions he described as "universally unspeakable" in various communities. He called the release one step in the oversight process. DDoSecrets attached a note to the files stating, "They have our information, so it's only fair that we have theirs."
