A group of hacktivists calling themselves “Department of Peace” has claimed responsibility for hacking the Department of Homeland Security. They have leaked allegedly stolen documents online.
On Sunday, the nonprofit transparency collective DDoSecrets published data relating to contracts between DHS, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and more than 6,000 companies. These companies include defense contractors Anduril, L3Harris, and Raytheon, surveillance provider Palantir, as well as tech giants Microsoft and Oracle. The hacktivists stated the data comes from the Office of Industry Partnership, a unit within DHS that procures technology from the private sector.
DHS and ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a document released alongside the hack, Department of Peace explained their motives. They cited the recent killings of two peaceful protesters, U.S. citizens Alex Pretti and Renée Good, earlier this year in Minneapolis by federal agents. 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.”
Since the beginning of the Trump administration, DHS and federal immigration agents with ICE have undertaken a campaign of mass deportations. They have arrested people with largely no criminal records and detained them in overcrowded facilities where critics say they are held in inhumane conditions. This mass deportation campaign has been aided by several tech companies, with Palantir at the forefront.
Security researcher Micah Lee organized the leaked data on a dedicated website, making the information easily searchable. The site shows the name of the contractors, the amount of money they were awarded, as well as contact information such as full names, email addresses, and phone numbers.
The largest contracts by total money awarded included 70 million dollars for Cyber Apex Solutions, a company that claims on its website to be focused on filling the security gaps of critical infrastructure in the U.S. Another was 59 million dollars for Science Applications International Corporation, which provides AI services for government agencies. Underwriters Laboratories was awarded 29 million dollars to provide testing, certification, and market intelligence to customers.
Cyber Apex Solutions, Science Applications International Corporation, and Underwriters Laboratories did not immediately respond to a request for comment.