A group of hacktivists calling themselves the “Department of Peace” has claimed to have hacked the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and leaked allegedly stolen documents online.
On Sunday, the nonprofit transparency group DDoSecrets released data on contracts between DHS, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and more than 6,000 companies, including defense contractors Anduril, L3Harris, Raytheon, surveillance provider Palantir, and tech giants Microsoft and Oracle.
The hacktivist said the data came from the Office of Industrial Partnerships, a division within DHS that procures technology from the private sector.
DHS and ICE did not respond to requests for comment.
The Department of Peace explained the motive in a document along with the hack, citing the recent killings of two peaceful protesters in Minneapolis by federal agents earlier this year, American citizens Alex Preti and Renee Good.
“Why hack DHS? I can think of some good reasons! DHS is killing us and I'm putting this out there because people have a right to know which companies support them and what they're working on,” the hackers wrote.
Since the Trump administration took office, federal immigration authorities, working with DHS and ICE, have launched a mass deportation campaign, arresting people with few criminal records and holding them in overcrowded facilities that critics say are held in inhumane conditions. This mass deportation campaign is backed by multiple technology companies, led by Palantir.
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Security researcher Mika Lee organized the leaked data into a dedicated website, making the information easily searchable.
The site displays the contractor's name, winning bid amount, and contact information such as name, email address, and phone number.
The largest contracts awarded by total amount awarded include $70 million for Cyber Apex Solutions. The company claims on its barebones website that it is “focused on closing the security gap in critical infrastructure” in the United States. $59 million to Science Applications International Corporation, which provides AI services to government agencies. Underwriters Laboratories won $29 million to provide testing, certification and market intelligence to customers.
Cyber Apex Solution, SAIC, and Underwriters Laboratories did not respond to requests for comment.