41,000 Homeland Security Employees And Undercover ICE Agents Exposed In Data Leak, Hackers Say

Authored by Jill McLaughlin via The Epoch Times,

An internal database with personal information identifying more than 41,000 employees at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) - including undercover immigration officers - was hacked by activists and published online, the group claimed Wednesday.

A Homeland Security spokesperson said the department was aware of the security breach.

"DHS is aware of a potential breach and is actively working to address the situation swiftly and effectively," the spokesperson told The Epoch Times.

"We take all security threats against our employees and officers seriously and will work to ensure all are properly protected. We will update the public when more information is available."

Data captured by the hackers includes email addresses, phone numbers, field offices, and other work-related information for employees of several DHS departments, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Federal Protective Service (FPS), DHS headquarters, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

A group known as the Department of Peace allegedly hacked the database and provided copies to Distributed Denial of Secrets (DDoSecrets) and maia arson crimew, a Swiss hacktivist, according to a statement by DDoSecrets.

Crimew created an online search tool and published the data on a database it calls "Icepick," according to DDoSecrets, an online group that hosts leaked or hacked documents.

"On July 17th, [Secretary of Homeland Security] Markwayne Mullin said he was 'turning up the heat.' This is what happens to ICE when you do that," a spokesperson for the Department of Peace said in a press release.

The dataset identifies officials responsible for overseeing covert and undercover operations, the government's hunt for leakers and the failed BlueLeaks investigation, a massive data hack of more than 200 police agencies across the country in 2020, Emma Best of DDoSecrets said.

The DHS data also includes key personnel in DHS's deportation programs, Best added.

More than 21,000 Border Patrol personnel were included in the leak, along with nearly 6,600 ICE agents, according to the information listed on the Icepick site.

In March, the same group breached the DHS website, leaking allegedly stolen documents relating to contracts between DHS, ICE, and more than 6,000 companies, including defense contractors.