Massive data breach at DHS: Names, phone Numbers, email addresses of more than 40,000 employees leaked
This disclosure is the third government data leak to make headlines in the past month.
The Department of Homeland Security, in a file photo.
On Wednesday, the group Distributed Denial of Secrets (DDoSecrets) released records containing data on more than 40,000 employees of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including some members linked to the intelligence community. Along with the records, the group released a search tool containing the employees' names, phone numbers, email addresses, job titles and email distribution lists. The information covers several DHS agencies, including the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Homeland Security Investigations division.
The organization, which is known for publishing leaked information, did not reveal who provided the information and referred to the anonymous source only as the "Department of Peace." In a statement, the group's co-founder, Emma Best, noted that the published data would help identify personnel involved in various types of operations. "This is a game-changer for anyone investigating DHS, as it simplifies the identification of agents and their chains of command. It provides material for Freedom of Information Act requests for years to come," the statement explained.
In that document, the hacker and activist "maia arson crimew," who is linked to the group, explained that the dataset provides detailed information about the department's staff and internal structure. "This dataset is enormous in both size and impact. It offers an unprecedented view of the Department of Homeland Security's organizational structure and highlights which individuals perform specific tasks at various DHS agencies, including ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement]," he noted.
This disclosure marks the third government data breach to make headlines in the past month. In September, the hacker group ShinyHunters claimed to have stolen a massive amount of data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), including confidential employment details and medical information on thousands of the agency's employees. Last week, the Department of Defense was the subject of a class-action lawsuit following a security breach that exposed the data of millions of active-duty and retired military personnel.
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