StopICE hacked to send alarming text messages, admins accuse border patrol agent of sabotage
- Reference: 1770059801
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2026/02/02/stopice_alerts_hacked/
- Source link:
On Friday, users [1]reported receiving text messages from a phone number linked to the [2]anti-ICE alert app , [3]telling them their "information has been compromised and sent to the authorities."
The text message also said that the anti-ICE service's developer, [4]Sherman Austin , "is not to be trusted and is a terrible coder." Meanwhile X users [5]claimed the hackers sent users' names and login information "to a bunch of government agencies."
[6]
We have reached out to CPB for comment and will update this story if we hear back.
[7]
[8]
However, we were able to get in touch with Austin, and he told The Register that none of the attackers' claims are true. "There are a lot of rumors circulating that were put out by racist pro-Trump accounts on social media," he said in an email. "Specifically rumors about users names, addresses and locations being revealed when this information does not exist on the site."
On Saturday, StopICE admins [9]downplayed the breach , said it doesn't store subscribers' personal information, and added that it receives more than 500 distributed-denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks daily:
On Jan 30, a server attack attempted to target stopice.net and queue false text alerts from our downstream carrier to our platform. The attack was quickly isolated and neutralized.
We've also traced the source of this attack back to a personal server associated with a CBP agent here in SoCal.
(he did not do a good job covering his tracks, nor did his associates.)
According to the alert, StopICE – which claims it has more than half a million subscribers – does not request or store users' names and addresses, and anyone claiming to have stolen these details is "attempting to spread rumors in attempt to gain social media fame and clout."
Admins also said that the app does not store GPS tracking details. It does, however, have an optional "location assist" feature for people who want to share their location.
[10]How hackers are fighting back against ICE surveillance tech
[11]ICE knocks on ad tech's data door to see what it knows about you
[12]Tech employees demand their leaders take a stand against ICE
[13]ICE-tracking app developer sues Trump admin after Apple spikes the software
The app's maintainers said that they traced the source by throwing the attackers "bait," such as phony data and fake API keys, which allegedly revealed the intruders' locations, names, phone numbers, and network information, and StopICE has since [14]provided a list of IP addresses and network details belonging to "several attackers."
"We will also be including phone numbers, names and profiles of those who've attempted to attack and flood our system, along with those who have attempted to send multiple death threats to the developer," the admins wrote.
[15]
The alert also reminded users to be careful about posting information on platforms including [16]Meta and [17]Google share [18]users' geolocation and other data to law enforcement upon request - or sometimes if they [19]simply ask nicely - noted that end-to-end encrypted email providers and messaging apps such as [20]Signal can help secure communications. ®
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[1] https://www.reddit.com/r/ICE_Watch/comments/1qr6vxs/help_i_just_received_this_text_from_the_phone/
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/09/hackers_fight_back_against_ice/
[3] https://www.reddit.com/r/BrownTranspeeps/comments/1qrbc60/stopicenet_has_been_compromised_and_your_data_is/
[4] https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/2025/07/20/ice-activists-tracking-immigration-officers/
[5] https://x.com/search?q=StopICE%20hack&src=typed_query
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aYEskHvsz1Yu8dTPhR1NHwAAAIU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aYEskHvsz1Yu8dTPhR1NHwAAAIU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aYEskHvsz1Yu8dTPhR1NHwAAAIU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[9] https://www.stopice.net/news/server_attack_against_stopicenet_traced_to_local_cbp_agents_personal_server
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/09/hackers_fight_back_against_ice/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/27/ice_data_advertising_tech_firms/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/26/ice_shootings_tech_employees_demand_action/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2025/12/08/iceblock_dev_sues_trump_administration/
[14] https://www.stopice.net/counterattack
[15] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aYEskHvsz1Yu8dTPhR1NHwAAAIU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[16] https://www.theregister.com/2023/07/11/mother_abortion_meta/
[17] https://www.theregister.com/2023/05/16/google_abortion_tracking_suit/
[18] https://www.theregister.com/2023/06/27/post_dobbs_uterus_surveillance/
[19] https://www.theregister.com/2024/04/22/fisa_section_702_renewed/
[20] https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/26/signal_will_withdraw_from_sweden/
[21] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Good
Glad to see someone is unmasking these ice guys. I'd be good with someone posting their names, ph num, address, and DL/SS number.
Re: Good
I'd be good with someone posting their names, ph num, address, and DL/SS number
Not a good idea.
If you want the moral high ground, you have to be "better" than those you are criticising. Once you start down the road to assisting fanatics on any side to start attacking/SWATing/whatever the bad guys, then you've lost that moral high ground. Plus it plays right into the narrative that the anti-ICE people are criminals and terrorists.
Re: Good
But if you report a hacking event and the govt covers it up what are your options?
Re: Good
Well I agree in part. Doxxing every ICE agent is bad thing. But if you can name those who doing the illegal things that the government is looking the other way at, that's the only way there will be future accountability. I'm not talking about the murders, that's a separate issue, but there are a lot of smaller violent acts done every day that don't even make the news because there are murders to talk about.
There's no good reason to post the home addresses of those doing this, all that can do is lead to idiots threatening their families and giving Trump what he wants, but making their names and phone numbers public? I see no problem with that. Let them see how much people hate them for their criminal behavior (until they get a new phone number to silence it) And having their name will come in handy for future prosecution of crimes the current DOJ stooges refuse to investigate. If they aren't named now, it will be almost impossible to find out who did something several years ago while wearing a mask.
We have reached out to CPB for comment and will update this story if we hear back.
Don't hold your breath! Anything you hear would be from the US Secretary of Lying Bitch, and that's a source any journalistic outlet just can't rely on.