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A public GitHub repository tied to a contractor supporting the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) exposed plaintext passwords, access tokens, cloud keys, logs, spreadsheets, and deployment files that could provide access to CISA and Department of Homeland Security internal and cloud systems. Researchers from GitGuardian and Seralys reported that the repository, named "Private-CISA", contained administrative credentials for three AWS GovCloud accounts as well as numerous credentials for internal CISA systems; some of the exposed secrets were verified as valid.
The repository was reportedly linked to a Nightwing employee and appears to have been used as an informal working scratchpad rather than a controlled code repository, with commit history indicating GitHub secret-scanning protections had been disabled. After alerts to the contractor reportedly went unanswered, the issue was escalated and the GitHub account was taken offline, but exposed AWS keys were said to remain valid for roughly 48 hours after disclosure. CISA said it is investigating and that it had no indication the credentials were abused, though the incident represents a significant security lapse at the federal agency responsible for civilian cybersecurity.
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Researchers said that more than a week after GitGuardian notified CISA of the exposed repository, the agency was still revoking and rotating leaked credentials. The remaining remediation reportedly included an RSA private key that could have enabled broad access to CISA's GitHub environment and CI/CD infrastructure.
Lawmakers including Rep. Bennie Thompson, Rep. Delia Ramirez, and Sen. Maggie Hassan requested briefings from acting CISA Director Nick Andersen on the cause, impact, remediation, and oversight failures tied to the exposed GitHub repository. The request marked a congressional oversight response to the incident.
CISA acknowledged the exposure and said it was investigating the incident. The agency stated there was no indication that sensitive data had been compromised as a result of the leak.
Following notification about the exposed repository, the contractor's GitHub account was removed from public access. Despite that action, reports said some exposed AWS GovCloud credentials remained valid for about 48 hours afterward.
After attempts to notify the contractor about the exposed secrets did not receive a response, the researchers escalated the issue to prompt remediation. The exposure was characterized by one researcher as among the worst credential leaks he had seen.
Security researchers from GitGuardian and Seralys found a public repository containing plaintext passwords, access tokens, AWS GovCloud keys, logs, spreadsheets, and deployment information tied to CISA and Department of Homeland Security systems. Some of the exposed credentials were verified as valid, indicating potential access to internal and cloud environments.
GitGuardian researcher Guillaume Valadon found a publicly accessible GitHub repository named 'Private-CISA' containing extensive CISA-related secrets and infrastructure material. He reported the exposure to CISA on May 14 after determining the repository had been publicly accessible for roughly six months.
A GitHub repository later identified as exposing sensitive CISA-related data was reportedly created by a contractor employee and linked to work supporting CISA. The repository was created publicly and became the location where credentials and operational files accumulated.
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CISA disclosed that a contractor exposed privileged AWS GovCloud keys and other sensitive credentials in a public GitHub repository, triggering an internal response after the leak was reported in May. According to the agency’s forensic and post-mortem findings, the exposure was first flagged by a GitGuardian researcher and relayed through journalist Brian Krebs after the contractor allegedly did not respond to the initial warning. CISA said it took the repository and the associated developer environment offline, revoked the individual’s access, and rotated the exposed secrets. The agency said its review of repository activity and logs found no evidence that the leaked credentials were used outside CISA and that no customer or mission data was exposed. The incident nevertheless exposed gaps in CISA’s own readiness, including the absence of a preexisting incident response playbook for this type of event and unclear reporting channels for outside researchers. In response, CISA said it is strengthening protections for sensitive material, improving secrets management and rotation, monitoring uploads to public repositories through EDR, simplifying vulnerability reporting, and developing formal playbooks for GitHub-related and similar incidents.
Jul 16, 2026
A publicly accessible directory tied to U.S. government contractor **CMI Management Inc.** exposed more than **70,000 files** linked to U.S. military installations and personnel. Reports say the contractor, which provides facility management services to the **U.S. Army**, left records openly available for months through an open directory listing, allowing access to sensitive material including personnel records, contractor documents, maintenance forms, emails, schematics, and photographs taken inside military bases. The leak created risks including **phishing, impersonation, and intelligence gathering** against military facilities and staff. Researcher **Arkadeep Roy** reportedly alerted **CISA** in 2024 after the exposure was identified following a tip to Cybernews, but the files remained accessible as recently as March 2026, underscoring how long-lived misconfigurations at defense contractors can leave operationally sensitive government data exposed.
Jun 29, 2026
**Madhu Gottumukkala**, the acting director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), uploaded sensitive U.S. government contracting documents marked **“for official use only”** into a publicly accessible version of **ChatGPT**, according to reporting citing multiple Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials. Although the materials were not classified, CISA cybersecurity sensors detected the activity in August and generated multiple automated alerts intended to prevent data loss or mishandling, prompting a DHS-level internal review to assess potential exposure and impact; the outcome of that review has not been made public. CISA’s public affairs office said Gottumukkala had been granted a temporary, authorized exception to use ChatGPT “with DHS controls in place,” describing the use as short-term and limited, while also disputing aspects of the reported timeline (stating his last use was in mid-July 2025 and that ChatGPT remains blocked by default unless an exception is granted). The incident highlights the risk that content entered into a public AI service may be shared with the service provider and potentially used to improve responses for other users, contrasting with DHS-approved internal tools (e.g., *DHSChat*) designed to keep inputs within federal networks.
Jun 29, 2026