Hacktivists claim breach of U.S. Department of Homeland Security

A group of hacktivists calling themselves the Department of Peace has claimed to have hacked the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), a U.S. federal government agency. On Sunday, the nonprofit transparency collective DDoSecrets published the allegedly stolen documents online. The leaked data relates to contracts between the DHS, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)—a U.S. federal law enforcement agency—and more than 6,000 companies. According to the hacktivists, the data originated from the Office of Industry Partnership, which is the unit within the DHS responsible for procuring technology from private sector contractors. Neither the DHS nor ICE immediately responded to requests for comment.

To make the leaked information accessible, security researcher Micah Lee organized the data on a dedicated website, allowing users to search through the records. The published database exposes the names of private contractors, their contact details, and the specific financial amounts they were awarded by the federal agencies. The leak highlights the extensive financial ties between the U.S. government and private firms, including tech companies like Palantir, which has been identified as enabling government surveillance. Among the largest contract values revealed in the leaked documents are:

• $70 million awarded to Cyber Apex Solutions
• $59 million awarded to Science Applications International Corporation
• $29 million awarded to Underwriters Laboratories

The hacktivists cited specific political and social grievances to justify the breach, linking their actions directly to federal enforcement activities in the U.S. In documents released alongside the data, the group highlighted the killings of two peaceful protesters by federal agents in Minneapolis. They also targeted the ongoing mass deportation campaign, which they assert has been aided by several tech companies. This campaign has drawn intense criticism for arresting individuals and holding them in detention facilities where they are reportedly held in inhumane conditions.

Explaining their decision to target the agency, the hackers wrote: “Why hack the DHS? I can think of a couple Pretti Good reasons! I’m releasing this because the DHS is killing us and people deserve to know which companies support them and what they’re working on”

Why it matters

The leak exposes the financial ties between federal agencies and thousands of private contractors, providing transparency into the private sector’s role in U.S. government surveillance and mass deportation campaigns.