More than 41,000 personnel profiles include ICE and CBP agents
Emma Best, a co-founder of Distributed Denial of Secrets, called the leak extraordinary but deceptive in its simplicity, saying the Icepick database identifies the officials responsible for overseeing covert and undercover operations, the government’s hunt for leakers and the failed BlueLeaks investigation, along with key personnel in DHS’s rendition and deportation programs.
The Department of Peace, alongside cybersecurity researcher and hacker maia crimew, put the database online Wednesday, and it was shared through a website hosted by Distributed Denial of Secrets. The groups wrote in an online statement that the goal of the leak was not meant to be a directory of every DHS agent; the aim was to replace “anonymity with accountability,” according to Best.
BBC News reported the leaked material includes details of more than 41,000 personnel working for the US Department of Homeland Security, including thousands involved in immigration enforcement.
The leak includes names, work addresses and phone numbers of DHS staff, including agents working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, along with descriptions of the work they do for each agency.
BBC News described the disclosure as a seemingly unprecedented breach of employee information. Wednesday’s leak marked the third time in recent weeks that a government agency had been targeted in leaks or hacks.
A Reuters image caption accompanying the report said US immigration agents often work with their faces covered and do not wear identification.
The Department of Peace said on Wednesday that it accessed the DHS agent profiles through a single sign-on service called Okta. BBC News described Okta as a popular online security tool that organizations use to ensure that only people with access to internal platforms can log on.
An Okta spokeswoman said the company was aware of the claims being made, but said: “Okta is secure, and we have no evidence our data or systems were compromised.”
A representative of the DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Last month, the FBI was hacked, with a group called ShinyHunters taking personal information about thousands of agents, BBC News reported. In recent days, the Federal Election Commission, which makes public political campaign donation data, was taken offline because of a suspected hacking attempt.
The report left the method of obtaining the DHS profiles unresolved, with the Department of Peace saying it accessed them through Okta and Okta saying it had no evidence of a compromise.