The personnel records of more than 41,000 Department of Homeland Security employees have been compromised and published online. The data leak, disclosed Wednesday, includes the work addresses, phone numbers, and job descriptions of personnel across several agency divisions, with the heaviest concentration affecting staff at Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The compromised information was uploaded to a database designated as Icepick. It encompasses the records of 21,000 CBP employees and 6,600 ICE workers, alongside personnel from Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Protective Service, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Beyond basic contact details, the published data revealed the names of dozens of agency operations, including undercover missions, the identities of agents in charge or assigned to them, and specific technology providers such as Cellebrite and Palantir.
A collective operating under the name Department of Peace claimed responsibility for the security breach. The group reportedly transmitted the stolen records to the non-profit organization Distributed Denial of Secrets, which subsequently published the material online. The data was also shared with U.S. journalist Ryan Ottignon and Swiss hacker maia arson crimew, who constructed a searchable database using the files.
In a statement accompanying the release, the Department of Peace referenced recent remarks by Homeland Security leadership, stating that the action was a direct response to agency policies. A separate note issued by Distributed Denial of Secrets asserted that the leak was intended to limit potential harm by the agency and support opposing efforts.
Federal officials confirmed awareness of the incident. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security stated that the agency is actively working to address the situation swiftly and effectively, emphasizing that all security threats directed against employees and officers are taken seriously.
This security breach represents the third incident of its kind to target a U.S. government agency within a multi-week span. On September 22, a hacking group known as ShinyHunters stole the records of thousands of FBI agents. Additionally, an apparent intrusion attempt forced the Federal Election Commission to shut down its website on a Monday, halting electronic campaign finance disclosures during a critical window ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.
