Data Leak Exposes Personal Details of More Than 40,000 DHS Employees
Personal information about immigration agents and other Homeland Security employees has appeared online, with reports identifying records tied to intelligence work and other sensitive roles.
By Hushread Stories, from 20 outlets · First published 29 Oct 2026
In brief
- A hacker obtained personal information about more than 40,000 Department of Homeland Security employees, according to published reports.
- The exposed records reportedly include employee names, job titles, phone numbers, email addresses and office locations.
- Those affected reportedly include immigration agents, border officers and personnel working in intelligence and other sensitive fields.
- Distributed Denial of Secrets announced the release on Wednesday, and journalists later accessed a searchable database of alleged employee details.
- Reports have not established how the information was obtained or whether every published record is authentic.
Timeline · 6 moments
Distributed Denial of Secrets announces release of employee data
The Independent ↗Journalists access database containing alleged officials' names and titles
CNBC International ↗Reporting identifies agents, operatives and contractors among those exposed
NPR News ↗DDoSecrets publishes data covering thousands of DHS employees
The Hill ↗Exposed fields include contact details and office locations
The Verge - All Posts Tech ↗Hacker reported to have stolen DHS personnel information
TechCrunch ↗Update 29 Oct 2026, 2:05 pm UTC
New coverage says the published records include names and phone numbers of border and intelligence staff, and describes the leak as a release by Distributed Denial of Secrets. Reports still give totals of more than 40,000 or more than 41,000, without settling the exact number or confirming every record's authenticity.
How it started
A hacker obtained personally identifiable information about more than 40,000 Department of Homeland Security employees, including customs and border protection officers and immigration agents, TechCrunch reported on October 28. The information was subsequently published online.
The records go beyond a list of names. According to The Verge, the breach exposed names, job titles, phone numbers, email addresses and office locations for more than 41,000 employees.
How it unfolded
On October 28, The Hill reported that the nonprofit leaker collective Distributed Denial of Secrets, or DDoSecrets, had published data that Wednesday on more than 40,000 DHS employees. Some were working in the intelligence community.
Reporting that day also identified another name associated with the release. BBC News said a group called the Department of Peace released information on more than 41,000 DHS staff.
On October 29, Infobae described Department of Peace as the name used by a hacker who stole and published the personal data. The supplied accounts differ in describing that identity as a group or an individual hacker, and do not establish its relationship with DDoSecrets.
The potential sensitivity of the records became clearer in subsequent coverage. CBC News reported on October 29 that DDoSecrets said the release included details about officials working in sensitive fields. NPR News described the exposed identities as including ICE agents, DHS operatives and contractors.
Also on October 29, CNBC International reported that it could access the database on the website. It saw names alleged to belong to officials, alongside titles, agencies and offices in cities and states.
Where it stands
The information has been published online, and at least one outlet has directly accessed the database. That establishes its availability, but not the authenticity of every entry: CNBC International described the names as alleged to be those of officials.
The reported totals range from more than 40,000 to more than 41,000 people. The supplied coverage does not reconcile those figures or establish an exact number of affected employees.
What to watch
The central unresolved questions are how the information was obtained, which records are genuine and how many people are affected. The supplied coverage does not establish the source system or provide a detailed account of the intrusion.
Confirmation of records associated with sensitive work will be especially important. The Hill reported that some affected employees worked in the intelligence community, making the scope of those disclosures a significant part of the story still to be established.
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