FOIA Document on Breach of Sensitive DHS Domestic Intelligence Sharing Portal

A 2024 internal oversight report from the Office of Intelligence and Analysis of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security shows a two-months-long data breach in an intelligence sharing hub that compromised sensitive information from the FBI, the National Counterterrorism Center, state and local intelligence agencies, and other law enforcement. The hub, part of the Homeland Security Information Network, is run by the DHS intelligence office. Agencies use the portal to share sensitive information—including about specific Americans and their activities—with thousands of officials nationwide.

Yet a data breach spanning two months, from March to May 2023, occurred after a programming error: The intelligence portal was made open to tens of thousands of users who lacked proper access. The oversight inquiry found that hundreds of DHS intelligence documents, some related to sensitive U.S. activities, were accessed, though the report included no assessment of impact on the many other agencies that trust the hub to share their information. Among the accounts that had access during the breach period included those belonging to foreign governments.

The Brennan Center obtained the report via a Freedom of Information Act request to DHS.

Read more at The Brennan Center