A hacker operating under the alias Department of Peace has compromised personnel data of over 40,000 U.S. Department of Homeland Security employees. The stolen information, reportedly taken from an Okta single sign-on system, includes names, job titles, email addresses, phone numbers, and office locations. This dataset covers a wide range of personnel, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, cybersecurity staff, senior officials, and other department employees.

The breach impacts a significant portion of DHS’s workforce, with about 21,000 records belonging to CBP employees who work at ports of entry, and 10,000 more tied to ICE and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) staff. The compromised data also reveals access permissions to internal systems and applications, exposing groups linked to technologies like Microsoft 365, Citrix, and surveillance tools such as Penlink, which is used for location tracking and real-time intelligence. Additionally, user groups related to online therapy services for ICE deportation officers have been identified.

This incident follows several recent U.S. government data breaches involving sensitive personnel records, including those affecting FBI agents and military service members. The DHS has confirmed awareness of a potential breach and is actively addressing it, while Okta maintains that its systems remain secure and uncompromised. The stolen data was shared with journalist and hacker maia arson crimew and subsequently made public through DDoSecrets, raising concerns about how such information could assist investigations into DHS operations and policies.

Beyond the immediate security implications, the leak offers rare insight into which technologies and contracts DHS employees utilize in their work, highlighting controversial tools involved in border surveillance and deportation efforts. Analysts emphasize that the exposed email addresses and contacts may enable stronger public records requests and investigations into government transparency, especially regarding contentious actions taken during the Trump administration and broader DHS practices ahead of upcoming elections.