The Department of Homeland Security is investigating a potentially far-reaching data breach that may have revealed the identities and contact details of tens of thousands of employees, according to sources who spoke with Fox News.
Sources familiar with the records described the suspected breach as a “catastrophic” security incident. They said the information may include the names, job titles, work locations and, in some cases, phone numbers and email addresses of approximately 40,000 DHS employees and contractors. The records reportedly include about 10,000 Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel.
The data also reportedly contains information tied to more than 20,000 U.S. Customs and Border Protection employees, including members of the Border Patrol.
Multiple sources confirmed that portions of the data appear to be authentic.
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin speaks at a news conference at ICE headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 9, 2026. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Distributed Denial of Secrets, a data leak website, said Wednesday that it had published information about DHS employees.
Fox News independently verified that the released records contain the names of several undercover ICE agents working in different regions of the country.
An antifascist hacking group known as the “Department of Peace” claimed responsibility for obtaining the information.
“DHS is aware of a potential breach and is actively working to address the situation swiftly and effectively,” a department spokesperson told Fox News.
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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents walk along a street during a multi-agency targeted enforcement operation in Chicago on Jan. 26, 2025. (Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“We take all security threats against our employees and officers seriously and will work to ensure all are properly protected,” the statement continued. “We will update the public when more information is available.”
Emma Best, co-founder of Distributed Denial of Secrets, said the group had created a tool that allows members of the public to search the data. She said the tool would “replace anonymity with accountability.”
The Department of Peace said in a statement that DHS employees “have our information, so it’s only fair that we have theirs.” The group added that it hoped the records “can be used to limit further harm by the DHS and supports all efforts in that direction.”
The reported incident comes as concerns grow over the security of government personnel records.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection headquarters in Washington, D.C., on May 10, 2023. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The disclosure follows a Pentagon personnel database breach last month that exposed sensitive personal information belonging to more than 2.76 million living U.S. military and civilian personnel, along with records for 294,000 deceased individuals.
A Pentagon official previously confirmed to Fox News that unauthorized users accessed unencrypted files containing Social Security numbers and military or civilian employment information between October 2025 and July 2026.
