Washington, October 30, 2026
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is trying to get leaked personnel data taken offline. On Thursday, DHS asked an Icelandic hosting company to take down or limit access to data on thousands of agency personnel, saying the content put them at risk. The company has refused, and the data has already spread to other websites.
What Happened
The nonprofit data transparency group Distributed Denial of Secrets (DDoSecrets) said on Wednesday that it had released data on more than 40,000 DHS personnel on its website, alongside a separate searchable database built by hacker and journalist “maia arson crimew.” The database was briefly inaccessible on Thursday but was soon republished at a different domain. Reuters’ report is available on US News.
What Information Was Exposed
According to TechCrunch, the breach includes names, job titles and work contact details such as email addresses, cell phone numbers and office locations of more than 40,000 people, including border and immigration agents, cybersecurity staff and senior department officials. More than half of the dataset, around 21,000 records, relates to Customs and Border Protection employees, and roughly 10,000 more are linked to ICE and its Homeland Security Investigations unit. The leaked records equal about one-fifth of DHS’s roughly 220,000-person workforce. Read TechCrunch’s full report for more.
DHS’s Takedown Request
In its request, DHS said the database “places more than 40,000 identifiable individuals at risk of harassment, stalking, and physical harm.” The figure was cited in an email to hosting company FlokiNET by ZeroFox, a company authorized by ICE to pursue content removal. A DHS spokesperson said the agency is aware of a potential breach and is working to address it.
The Hosting Company Refuses
FlokiNET CEO Kolja Weber told Reuters his company would not remove the data because it contained government employees’ work addresses and work phone numbers, not personal numbers and addresses.
Who Claims Responsibility
A group calling itself “Department of Peace” claimed responsibility and said DHS employees have its information, so it is only fair that it has theirs. A statement said the group harvested the data from the Okta sign-on service used by DHS. Reuters could not verify the whole data trove, but matched personal details of six named DHS employees to credit bureau records and breach data. More details are in CBC News’s coverage.
A Pattern of Government Data Leaks
CBC described this as the third major government data leak to make headlines in the past month. The case also reopens a wider debate. Privacy advocates have criticized DHS for using personal data from other agencies, including Medicaid records and taxpayer data, for immigration enforcement.
What Comes Next
DHS says it will protect its employees, but removing the data looks hard now that it is mirrored on multiple sites and the host has declined. Watch for further takedown attempts, any official statement on how the Okta-linked access happened, and possible investigations.
