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Hackers expose the identities of more than 40,000 DHS employees
NPR • • general
Key Points:
- A hacking group called the Department of Peace breached the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's personnel files, exposing personal details of over 40,000 DHS agents, including those involved in undercover operations.
- The hackers exploited DHS's single sign-on system and shared the stolen data with Distributed Denial of Secrets (DDoSecrets), which published it online in a database named Icepick.
- The leak includes records of more than 21,000 U.S. Customs and Border Protection employees and around 10,000 from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations, representing about one-fifth of DHS's workforce.
- DHS acknowledged the potential breach and stated it is actively addressing the situation to protect affected personnel.
- Activists and journalists involved argue the leak promotes government oversight by revealing identities of officials conducting covert operations, while rejecting claims that the release constitutes doxing.
