A massive leak of Department of Homeland Security records has surfaced, exposing the details of more than 41,000 employees and contractors. The data, which was last updated on August 19, 2026, provides a detailed look into the department’s internal organization, including email addresses, office locations, and phone numbers. Beyond simple contact info, the files contain references to sensitive surveillance programs and internal systems, effectively mapping out how the agency operates.
As reported by WIRED, a group calling itself the Department of Peace reportedly obtained the data. The transparency nonprofit Distributed Denial of Secrets, along with cybersecurity researcher and journalist maia arson crimew, previewed the records before the archive, dubbed Icepick, was published on Wednesday. In a note attached to the files, the hackers stated, “They have our information, so it’s only fair that we have theirs.”
The group claims the data originated from the DHS Okta login system. However, an Okta spokesperson says the company is unaware of any breach. “We are aware of this report. Okta is secure, and we have no evidence our data or systems were compromised,” the spokesperson says.
This leak arrives while the DHS has been aggressively pursuing critics and attempting to hide the names and faces of its staff
DHS has also broadened its definition of doxing to include the publication of basic facts about public employees, such as their job titles. Adam Steinbaugh, a senior attorney at the nonprofit civil liberties group FIRE, notes the administration has taken a wide view of laws prohibiting the sharing of restricted personal information about federal officers. “This is information that would be on a business card,” Steinbaugh says. “That’s not something the government can criminalize.”
According to an analysis of the data, US Customs and Border Protection staff make up over half of the records. Another 10,000 belong to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with roughly a third of those working in its investigative wing. The files reach across the department, from senior leadership down to individual immigration agents and detention contractors.
The records reveal permission groups that control access to internal systems, such as those used for wiretaps or illicit sensor intercepts. Some groups even reference tools like the Falcon investigative platform from Palantir and PenLink, which is used to analyze phone and social media records. There are also references to AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot. One group titled Grok.com includes eight DHS technology officials.
Alexander Leslie, a national security expert at Recorded Future, suggests the leak could be dangerous if the information is accurate. “If authentic and current, this is an extraordinarily valuable intelligence resource for those seeking to penetrate DHS,” Leslie says.
“This dataset becomes way more valuable when correlated with previously compromised information, commercial data, and other intelligence collections. An adversary could spend months exploiting these relationships to identify vulnerable personnel, develop convincing impersonation attempts, or compromise ongoing investigations.”
The records are currently searchable on a website built by crimew, who argues that the leak serves as a tool for accountability. “The DHS especially as an agency completely lacks accountability, despite many parts of it being incredibly unpopular,” crimew says. “If they weren’t hiding their involvement in the repressive arm of the US government there would be no need for us to expose them in the first place.”
Neither the DHS nor the Department of Justice responded to requests for comment regarding the incident. The FBI referred inquiries to the DHS.
Published: Oct 30, 2026 05:00 am