تسريب بيانات موظفين في الهجرة والاستخبارات والعمليات السرية

In the third major incident of leaked U.S. government data within a month, information concerning over 40,000 employees of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has been revealed, including officials working in surveillance, intelligence, and covert operations, according to a nonprofit group specializing in publishing leaked data.

The group "Distributed Denial of Secrets," which focuses on transparency and data accessibility, stated that an entity calling itself the "Department of Peace" obtained the data and then provided it to the group and to journalist and hacking activist Maya Arson Krew.

For its part, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security confirmed that it is aware of the potential breach, noting that it is working to address the situation quickly and effectively.

The department added in a statement that it will provide additional updates as new information becomes available regarding the incident.

Data includes employees from immigration, intelligence, and cybersecurity

The leaked data includes names, phone numbers, and email addresses of employees from several agencies under the Department of Homeland Security, including: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and other entities and agencies under the department.

The transparency group also provided a link to an electronic search tool that allows users to browse and search the data.

According to the group, the leaked information could reveal the identities of employees holding key positions within the department's deportation and detainee transfer programs.

The publishing entity defends the data leak

Emma Best, co-founder of the "Distributed Denial of Secrets" group, defended the publication of the data, arguing that making it available could help enhance accountability and oversight of government institutions' performance.

Best stated that the accompanying search tool for the leak would, in her words, "replace anonymity with accountability," and assist journalists in their work, as well as support the oversight exercised by Congress over government entities.

Conversely, the publication of employee data, particularly those working in intelligence and covert operations, raises concerns regarding individual privacy and safety, as well as the potential for the information to be exploited to target them or impersonate their identities.

Reuters reported that it contacted three employees at the Department of Homeland Security based on the published data and was able to verify their phone numbers and other information about them.

The leak comes amid a tightening of the U.S. deportation campaign

This incident coincides with the escalation of President Donald Trump's administration's campaign against immigration and the expansion of procedures related to detention and deportation.

The Department of Homeland Security had announced in September the launch of an intensified effort targeting what are known as "sanctuary cities," which limit their cooperation with federal authorities in certain immigration law enforcement actions.

The Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan research organization, noted in an information paper that the department has expanded the scope of its arrest and deportation operations in recent months.

The leak of data concerning employees in these institutions places potentially sensitive information in the public domain at a time when the relevant agencies are carrying out immigration law enforcement operations and security investigations.

This is the third major breach affecting U.S. government institutions recently

This incident is part of a series of data leaks that have affected U.S. government entities in recent weeks.

Last week, the U.S. Department of Defense faced a class-action lawsuit over a breach that reportedly affected millions of current and former military personnel.

In September, the hacking group "ShinyHunters" announced that it had stolen data concerning thousands of employees at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

These successive incidents highlight the challenges faced by U.S. government institutions in protecting their employees' data, particularly information related to security and intelligence agencies.

While the Department of Homeland Security continues to investigate the potential incident, the full details regarding how the data was obtained, the entity responsible for the leak, and the extent of the impact on actual security operations remain unclear.