Hackers claim leak of sensitive details on thousands of DHS workers

By Sean Lyngaas, Priscilla Alvarez, Thomas Bordeaux, CNN

(CNN) — The Department of Homeland Security is investigating after hackers claimed to have stolen and leaked the sensitive personal information of tens of thousands of current and former department employees, including some that work on covert and sensitive missions.

“DHS is aware of a potential breach and is actively working to address the situation swiftly and effectively,” a department spokesperson told CNN. “We take all security threats against our employees and officers seriously and will work to ensure all are properly protected.”

A source familiar with the data breach confirmed that the information of some undercover personnel had been exposed.

A hacktivist group calling itself the Department of Peace obtained the data, and the anti-secrecy group Distributed Denial of Secrets posted it online on Wednesday, according to a statement from the latter group.

The group’s co-founder, Emma Best, said that the leak “identifies many of the architects and drivers of DHS policy and operations.”

A preliminary CNN review of the data found that at least some of the personal information attributed to DHS personnel in the leak is accurate. The data includes phone numbers, work supervisors and assignments for DHS personnel.

Also in the breach is data belonging to at least three Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol officers who were involved in shootings during the second Trump administration, according to the CNN review.

US officials familiar with the data leak reacted with a mix of concern and grim familiarity. One official called the leak “embarrassing,” but added “we have certainly seen worse.” They expressed concern about the possibility of phishing and doxxing stemming from the data dump.

The data was taken from an “internal” DHS database linked with a “single sign-on service” used by employees, according to Distributed Denial of Secrets.

DHS reiterated to its workforce Thursday that they were aware of the alleged data breach, according to an internal memo reviewed by CNN, adding that they’re “working to understand the scope of the situation, assess potential threats, and identify appropriate resources and protective measures.” In an earlier memo, employees were also pointed to previously shared resources offered to personnel for removing personally identifiable information from the internet.

The leak “reveals information that can be used by hackers to target the computers and devices of DHS personnel engaged in sensitive investigations and security work,” said Thomas Warrick, a former deputy assistant secretary for counterterrorism policy at DHS. He called for a thorough investigation from Congress of how the breach occurred.

“DHS can’t just lock the barn door after the horse was stolen,” Warrick added. “It needs to make sure DHS and its contractors focus more on keeping the barn locked.”

“This hack has just served to put thousands of ordinary civil servants in the crosshairs of anonymous internet trolls,” said Sarah Pierce, director of social policy at the Third Way think tank, and a former official at DHS’s US Citizenship and Immigration Services agency.

“Many of these employees have served the federal government for decades, under multiple administrations,” Pierce told CNN. “They didn’t design these policies, and they don’t deserve to be punished for them.”

It’s just latest example of US law enforcement agencies scrambling to respond to their agents’ data being posted online. Last month, the FBI was dealing with its most serious breach in years after a cybercriminal group called ShinyHunters claimed to access data on thousands of current and former FBI personnel. That data heist included information on FBI personnel working in sensitive units focused on China and Russia, according to sources who have seen the data.

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