Hackers publish records tied to more than 41,000 DHS personnel
publishers 37articles 39first reported 28 Oct, 20:00 UTCdeveloping since 29 Oct · 4 editions
A hacktivist group calling itself the Department of Peace has released records linked to more than 41,000 Department of Homeland Security employees and contractors, including personnel at Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The archive, published Wednesday by the transparency nonprofit Distributed Denial of Secrets under the name “Icepick,” includes names, email addresses, phone numbers and office locations. Reports by CNBC, Ars Technica and Engadget said the records also reveal organizational assignments and references to internal access groups, surveillance systems and undercover programs. About 21,000 records are associated with CBP and roughly 10,000 with ICE, according to Engadget.
The hackers and Distributed Denial of Secrets said the information came from an Okta single sign-on service used by DHS. Okta disputed any suggestion that its own systems were breached, saying it had found no evidence that its data or systems were compromised.
DHS told news outlets it was aware of a potential breach and was working to address it. The department said it takes threats against employees and officers seriously and would provide further information when available.
The hackers said the release was retaliation for comments about intensified immigration enforcement. Distributed Denial of Secrets co-founder Emma Best said the database was not a comprehensive directory of DHS personnel but identified many people involved in department policy and operations.
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