Non-profit group leaks data of more than 40,000 homeland security workers
Information released by Distributed Denial of Secrets is the third such government data disclosure in the last month The leak website Distributed Denial of Secrets said on Wednesday it has released data on more than 40,000 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employees, including details about officials working in sensitive fields such as surveillance and human intelligence. DHS did not…
The non-profit organization Distributed Denial of Secrets has leaked data belonging to over 40,000 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employees. The leak, which centers around information obtained by a group calling itself "Department of Peace," is the third major government data breach to emerge in the past month. DHS has not yet responded to inquiries regarding the incident.
The data exposed includes sensitive details about DHS workers, such as names, phone numbers, and email addresses. These details pertain to personnel in various departments, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. The leak also contained information on job titles, email groups, and specific roles, which shed light on personnel involved in special operations, surveillance, computer forensics, and undercover assignments.
Emma Best, a co-founder of Distributed Denial of Secrets, explained that the hacktivist known as "maia arson crimew" developed a search tool for the leaked data. This tool aims to replace anonymity with accountability, enabling public scrutiny and assisting journalists, public records requests, and congressional oversight. The Department of Peace, which claims responsibility for the hack, stated that the data breach is justified as DHS employees have shared their information and that the leak can be used to limit further harm from DHS and promote related efforts.
The non-profit group obtained the data through the Okta sign-on service utilized by DHS. However, Okta has not confirmed a breach or system compromise despite the claims. Reuters attempted to validate the data's authenticity but was unable to do so definitively. Out of the six DHS employees whose information matched with credit bureau records and dark web intelligence, one remained unaware of the breach.
While some data aligned with details from DHS employees' LinkedIn profiles, other information revealed undisclosed internal organization charts and previously unknown programs.
Written by urgent.news from The Guardian US's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.