Over 40K US Homeland Security Employees' Data Reportedly Released Online, Leak Site Says

Data identifying more than 40,000 US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employees, including personnel reportedly involved in surveillance and human intelligence, has appeared online, Reuters reported on 29 October 2026.

Meanwhile, leak publisher Distributed Denial of Secrets said it released the material on 28 October. It described an internal database covering more than 41,000 employees and containing names, office details, contact information and job assignments.

The DHS told Reuters it was aware of a potential breach and was responding while taking steps to protect employees, adding it would provide further information when available.

Reuters Checks Confirm Some Employee Details

In its report, Reuters said it could not immediately authenticate the entire collection. However, it matched personal information for six employees named in the material against credit bureau records and previously breached data held by dark web intelligence platform District 4 Labs.

The news agency also contacted three DHS employees directly and confirmed their telephone numbers and other details. One employee said the call was their first indication that a breach might have occurred.

Reuters also found that some information was already publicly available, including details appearing on employees' LinkedIn profiles. Other records reportedly revealed non-public information about DHS organisational structures, programmes and operations.

Claimed Source Raises Questions About Sign-On Access

Distributed Denial of Secrets said a hacktivist group calling itself the Department of Peace obtained the database and supplied copies to the publisher and journalist and cybersecurity researcher 'maia arson crimew.'

The publisher attributed the records to an Okta single sign-on service used by DHS. Reuters could not independently corroborate that account.

Okta said it had found no evidence of a compromise affecting its infrastructure. 'Okta is secure, and we have no evidence our data or systems were compromised,' the company said in a statement Reuters shared.

The Department of Peace linked its actions to comments made by DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin on 17 July about intensifying immigration enforcement, according to the statement accompanying the release.

The group said it believed the disclosure was justified because DHS held information about the public. Its statement also called for the data to be used to limit further harm by the department.

Search Tool Maps Roles Across Homeland Security

Crimew created an online tool to search the records, with journalist and longtime collaborator Ryan Fae helping to clean the raw material, Distributed Denial of Secrets said.

The publisher said the tool also enriches the data. Crimew described it as a way to examine the department's organisational structure, identify personnel and trace reporting relationships across agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Distributed Denial of Secrets co-founder Emma Best said the release, called Icepick, identifies people shaping departmental policy and operations rather than simply listing the entire workforce.

Best said the records include officials overseeing covert operations, investigations into leaks and deportation activities. These descriptions reflect the publisher's assessment of the material and have not been independently established in their entirety.

Among the activities Best said the records illuminate are the government's efforts to identify leakers and its investigation into BlueLeaks, an earlier release of law enforcement material.

Publishers Argue Records Could Strengthen Scrutiny

Best argued that the release could support journalism, congressional scrutiny, legal challenges and requests under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

Ryan Shapiro, executive director of transparency organisation Property of the People, said employee contact details can help researchers submit more precise public-records requests. Crimew said the collection offered 'FOIA material for years to come!'

Those arguments accompanied a release that DHS said required measures to protect its employees. The disclosure has also raised concerns about the exposure of personnel working in sensitive roles.

The disclosure follows other reported incidents involving federal personnel information. In September, hacking group ShinyHunters claimed it had stolen Federal Bureau of Investigation employee data, including medical information and sensitive employment details, per Reuters.

The news agency also reported that the Defense Department faced a class action lawsuit the previous week following a breach exposing information about millions of current and former military personnel.