Hacker stole 40,000-plus DHS employee records, exposing agency details
Thousands of workers affected
The compromised information covers more than 41,000 DHS employees, according to TechCrunch and Wired. It includes names, roles, phone numbers, email addresses and office locations. About 21,000 records concern Customs and Border Protection staff, while nearly 7,000 are associated with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Records also include employees at CISA, USCIS and Homeland Security Investigations.
Access through Okta reported
TechCrunch reported that a hacker using the name “Department of Peace” accessed the information through Okta, an identity and access management service used by DHS. The hacker reportedly gave the material to cybersecurity researcher maia arson crimew, who shared it with the nonprofit Distributed Denial of Secrets. The group is hosting the dataset, called “Icepick.”
Dataset includes surveillance links
The information reportedly identifies DHS groups with access to tools that can be used for surveillance. Those tools include Mobile Fortify, a facial recognition app, and PenLink, which can gather and analyze information from phones and online services.
The leak comes weeks after hackers took data concerning FBI employees and job applicants. DHS did not immediately respond to The Verge’s request for comment.
Key points
- The breach reportedly exposed personal and workplace details for more than 41,000 DHS employees.
- About 21,000 records concern CBP workers, and nearly 7,000 relate to ICE staff.
- The hosted dataset reportedly includes agency links to surveillance tools such as Mobile Fortify and PenLink.