Non-profit group leaks data of 40,000 US Homeland Security employees
What's the story
Data identifying over 41,000 employees and contractors of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was leaked on Wednesday, the third major government data leak in the past month. The leak was made public by the transparency nonprofit and leak website Distributed Denial of Secrets (DDoSecrets). The exposed records include operation names, surveillance programs, and details about undercover initiatives.
Exposed information
Personal data of employees from various agencies exposed
The leaked data includes names, phone numbers, and email addresses of employees from various DHS agencies.
These agencies include Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).
Over 21,000 CBP agents are part of this leak, along with around 6,600 ICE agents.
Agency response
DHS aware of potential breach, actively working to address it
The DHS has confirmed that it is "aware of a potential breach and is actively working to address the situation swiftly and effectively."
The agency is making efforts to ensure its employees' safety and will provide public updates as more information becomes available.
Distributed Denial of Secrets co-founder Emma Best said the hacktivist and journalist known as "maia arson crimew" created a search tool for the data that would allow the public to browse it.
Public tool
Tool would replace anonymity with accountability, says Best
Best said this tool would "replace anonymity with accountability," empower journalists, guide public records requests, and boost congressional oversight.
The Department of Peace, which claims responsibility for the hack, said DHS employees "have our information, so it's only fair that we have theirs," and that it hoped the data "can be used to limit further harm by the DHS and supports all efforts in that direction."