DHS Probes Extensive Data Breach Potentially Affecting Thousands

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is currently investigating a significant data breach. This breach may have compromised the identities and contact details of tens of thousands of DHS employees.

Sources informed Fox News that this incident, described as a “catastrophic” security breach, possibly exposed the names, job titles, locations, and in certain cases, phone numbers and email addresses of around 40,000 DHS employees and contractors. Included in this number are approximately 10,000 personnel from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Additionally, the breach might have affected records associated with over 20,000 U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) employees, including Border Patrol staff. Various sources have confirmed the authenticity of parts of the data involved.

The data was reportedly released by the data leak website, Distributed Denial of Secrets, as confirmed on Wednesday. Fox News verified that the leaked records include names of several undercover ICE agents across the United States. The “Department of Peace,” an anti-fascist hacking group, has claimed responsibility for the breach.

A DHS spokesperson commented, “DHS is aware of a potential breach and is actively working to address the situation swiftly and effectively.” The statement emphasized the department’s commitment to addressing security threats against employees and officers, assuring that they are striving to ensure proper protection. Additional updates will be provided as more information becomes available.

Emma Best, co-founder of Distributed Denial of Secrets, noted in a statement that a tool was developed to enable public access to the data, asserting that it aims to “replace anonymity with accountability.” In a separate statement, the Department of Peace expressed that since DHS possesses public information, they believe it fair to have access to DHS information, hoping this data could help mitigate further harm.

This reported data breach arises amidst larger concerns regarding the security of government personnel records. Recently, a breach at a Pentagon personnel database revealed sensitive personal details of over 2.76 million active U.S. military and civilian personnel, as well as 294,000 deceased individuals. Unauthorized parties accessed files containing Social Security numbers and employment information from October 2025 to July 2026, previously confirmed by a Pentagon official.