Hackers publish names of more than 40,000 DHS workers, including undercover staff

A hacking group exposed the names, phone numbers and addresses of more than 40,000 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents and associates on Wednesday, NPR reported. The files include people involved in undercover operations ¹. Nextgov/FCW, a federal technology news site, put the count at more than 41,000 current and former employees and contractors ².

The group calls itself the Department of Peace. It says it got the data by subverting DHS's single sign-on system, the login tool employees use to reach internal systems ¹. It says it passed the files to Distributed Denial of Secrets, a nonprofit that publishes leaked documents. The nonprofit posted them in a database called Icepick ¹.

What the files show

More than 21,000 records identify employees of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Another 10,000 relate to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and its Homeland Security Investigations unit ¹. Nextgov/FCW said the records also cover the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and other DHS components ².

The data includes job titles and internal group memberships. Some entries describe work in surveillance, computer forensics and undercover operations ². Some records are old, and Nextgov/FCW found people listed who have since left the agency ².

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Nextgov/FCW checked some of the data. One official's work phone number matched a number the reporter had obtained independently before the leak ². The leak is not complete. NPR said it covers about a fifth of a DHS workforce of a little more than 220,000 people ¹.

Who said what

A group spokesperson tied the breach to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. The spokesperson said that on July 17 Mullin said he was "turning up the heat," and that the leak is "what happens to ICE when you do that" ¹².

DHS said it was "aware of a potential breach and is actively working to address the situation swiftly and effectively." It said it was taking steps to protect its people ¹. Okta, the company that makes the sign-on service, said it has no evidence its own systems were compromised ².

Ryan Ottignon is a journalist who helped build a searchable version of the data. He rejected the idea that he and others were doxing, meaning publishing private details to expose people, government employees. He said officials who work in masks and plain clothes should face oversight ¹.

Best is a cofounder of Distributed Denial of Secrets. She said the leak makes explicit connections between officials who oversee covert and undercover operations and key staff in DHS's deportation programs ¹. Other activists say names and email addresses could make public records requests more useful ¹.

Why it matters

Two things are true at once. The release could help reporters and Congress examine an agency at the center of the deportation drive ¹². Nextgov/FCW also noted that the same information could help malicious actors pick targets or craft convincing impersonation attempts ².

NPR called it an unprecedented breach of intelligence. It came after similar hacking attacks at the FBI ¹. No Democratic lawmaker's reaction appeared in either report.

What happens next is unclear. DHS said it would provide more information when it is available ². All of the details on how the data was taken come from the hackers' own account and early reporting.

The Record

1. Jul 17, 2026The hackers say Markwayne Mullin said he was 'turning up the heat' on this date, and cite it as their motive ¹².
2. Oct 28, 2026Distributed Denial of Secrets posted the Icepick database with records on more than 40,000 DHS employees and associates ¹².
3. Oct 28, 2026DHS said it was aware of a potential breach and working to address it ¹².

Sources

1. NPR, “Hackers expose the identities of more than 40,000 DHS employees” (2026-10-29). npr.org/2026/10/28/nx-s1-6021497/dhs-hack-ice
2. Nextgov/FCW, “DHS personnel leak exposes contact details and sensitive job information” (2026-10-28). nextgov.com/cybersecurity/2026/10/dhs-personnel-leak-exposes

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