Hackers release names and addresses of 40,000 DHS staff

Washington, D.C., Oct. 28, 2026. A hacking group named the Department of Peace released the personal information of more than 40,000 U.S. Department of Homeland Security employees on Wednesday. The exposed records include names, phone numbers, and home addresses for agents, operatives, and associates. The data covers personnel involved in undercover operations as well as standard field staff.

The group claimed it accessed the files by compromising DHS's single sign-on system. It sent the material to Distributed Denial of Secrets, a nonprofit organization that posted the data in a public database called Icepick. The hackers also shared the files with journalist Ryan Ottignon and a Swiss hacker known as maia arson crimew. Together, the two built a searchable online index of the records.

More than 21,000 of the leaked records identify employees of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Another 10,000 records relate to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its Homeland Security Investigations unit. DHS employs more than 220,000 people, meaning this leak represents about one-fifth of the department's total workforce.

Emma Best, a cofounder of Distributed Denial of Secrets, described the leak as extraordinary but deceptive in its simplicity. She said the data makes explicit connections between officials overseeing covert operations and key personnel in rendition and deportation programs. Other activists noted that specific names and contact details will help them file more effective freedom of information requests, which often fail when requests are too general.

DHS said in a statement that it is aware of the potential breach and is working to address it swiftly. The department added that it is taking necessary steps to ensure all employees are properly protected. The leak follows similar hacking attacks at the FBI earlier in the year.

Ryan Ottignon, who helped create the searchable database, said the group is not doxing government employees. He noted that public officials often hide their identities by wearing masks or plain clothes while working in communities. Ottignon said the leak is one step toward the oversight needed for a useful government. A note attached to the files by Distributed Denial of Secrets read: “They have our information, so it's only fair that we have theirs.”