US Homeland Security Employee Data Leaked Online in Massive Breach
A database containing personal details of over 41,000 US Department of Homeland Security employees, including sensitive operational roles, has leaked online.
Personal details of over 41,000 employees and contractors at the United States Department of Homeland Security have been published in a searchable online database, according to reports. The breach includes names, contact details, and affiliations with sensitive roles, including surveillance and covert operations. The department, which is responsible for immigration enforcement and border security among other duties, stated that it is aware of a potential data leak and is working to address the issue and protect its personnel.
The data was published by the leak organization Distributed Denial of Secrets, which stated it received the information from a hacker group calling itself Department of Peace. According to news reports, the database includes personnel from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, alongside other agency divisions.
Names, phone numbers, and sensitive roles disclosed in the cache reveal organizational structures and unreleased operational plans. Former ICE acting director John Sandweg described the breach as a nightmare scenario, warning that the exposure of agents' identities endangers personnel and threatens ongoing criminal investigations against gangs and drug cartels. The leak occurs against the backdrop of sweeping deportation operations led by the Trump administration, while publishers claim the disclosure aims to increase transparency and public oversight of department activities.
