US: Department of Homeland Security data leak exposes details of more than 40,000 employees

In the third major US government data leak in the past month, details on more than 40,000 US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employees, including officials involved in surveillance, intelligence and undercover operations, were released on Wednesday by a nonprofit leak website.

Distributed Denial of Secrets, a nonprofit data transparency group, said the data was obtained by an entity calling itself "Department of Peace" and provided to the group and "journalist and hacktivist maia arson crimew."

DHS said in a statement that it was "aware of a potential breach and is actively working to address the situation swiftly and effectively." The agency said it would provide further updates when more information became available.

Transparency group says releasing data justified

The leaked DHS data reportedly includes names, phone numbers and email addresses of personnel from:

• Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
• Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
• US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
• Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)
• the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)
• ​other DHS agencies

The data transparency group also provided a link to an online search tool that helps the public sift through the data.

Distributed Denial of Secrets co-founder Emma Best said the leak identifies "key personnel in DHS' ever-escalating rendition and deportation programs," according to a statement on their website.

Best said the tool would "replace anonymity with accountability" and aid journalists as well as facilitate congressional oversight.

According to Reuters, the news agency called three DHS employees based on the data and was able to confirm their phone numbers and other details.

DHS said in September that it was initiating a "surge in sanctuary cities," which are known to limit cooperation with federal authorities — as the Trump administration ramped up its crackdown on immigration.

The non-partisan Migration Policy Institute said in a fact sheet that the DHS has expanded its arrests and deportations over the last several months.

Third serious data breach recently

This is the third major US government data breach in recent weeks:

• Last week, the Defense Department faced a class-action lawsuit over a breach affecting millions of current and former military personnel
• In September, hacking group ShinyHunters claimed to have stolen data of thousands of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) employees.

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Edited by: Sean Sinico