DHS breach exposes records of more than 41,000 employees
A hacktivist group calling itself the Department of Peace obtained data on more than 41,000 current and former Homeland Security employees, including ICE and CBP staff, and the records were posted online Oct. 28. DHS says it is responding.
Bias breakdown and outlet coverageon the RUSH story page →What happened
Details on more than 41,000 people who work or worked for the Department of Homeland Security were posted online on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026. CNN reported hackers claim to have leaked sensitive details on thousands of DHS workers. Straight Arrow News described the exposure of immigration agents' identities as a "nightmare scenario" under investigation. More than 21,000 of the records are tied to Customs and Border Protection and nearly 6,600 to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to RUSH's story package.
A group calling itself the Department of Peace said it obtained the data. The nonprofit leak archive Distributed Denial of Secrets published it. The group said it got in through an Okta single sign-on system used by DHS staff. Okta disputes that and says it has no evidence its systems were compromised, as summarized across coverage compiled by RUSH.
What DHS says
A DHS spokesperson said the department is aware of a potential breach and is working to address it. CNN reported that a preliminary review found at least some of the personal information is accurate, that a source confirmed some undercover personnel were exposed, and that an internal memo told staff the department is working to assess potential threats. One U.S. official told CNN the leak was "embarrassing" but added, "we have certainly seen worse."
How outlets covered it
Breitbart reported the leak exposes ICE agents, cybersecurity staff and senior officials. The Daily Beast reported activists say they want more oversight and transparency of DHS, and noted critics who argue agents' backgrounds should face public scrutiny. ZeroHedge focused on the scale of the exposure, including undercover ICE agents. Former Obama-era ICE official John Sandweg called the leak a "nightmare scenario" that could endanger agents and jeopardize investigations, as cited by Straight Arrow News and The Daily Beast.
Why it matters
The leak touches about a fifth of the DHS workforce days before the midterms, and it is the third major federal data exposure reported in recent weeks, after incidents involving FBI and Pentagon personnel data. The open questions are how the data was taken, whether named officers face added risk, and what Congress does next.