ISIS threaten US soldiers.
By Raif Karerat
WASHINGTON, DC : Hackers claiming to be part of the militant organization ISIS hacked into the social media accounts of the U.S. Central Command (CentCom), on Monday. The group, which called themselves the “Cyber Caliphate,” then issued threats and aggressive messages to a so-called captive audience of 120,000.
“We can confirm that U.S. Central Command’s Twitter and YouTube accounts were compromised,” a Department of Defense official told the New York Daily News. “We are taking appropriate measures to address the matter,” he added.
“AMERICAN SOLDIERS, WE ARE COMING, WATCH YOUR BACK. ISIS,” read one of the most widely circulated tweets posted by the hackers.
Furthermore, CentCom’s YouTube channel provided the Cyber Caliphate with the means to branch out beyond 140 characters. Before both of the targeted social media accounts were taken down, ISIS managed to post several propaganda videos along with a deluge of military documents.
Military officials have stated that no classified information was released and that nearly all of the documents appear to have been available to the public already. Nevertheless, the Islamic State’s digital incursion is disconcerting for the U.S. military, especially considering CentCom oversees the tactical campaign against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.
Cybersecurity expert Peter W. Singer of the New America Foundation stressed to Vice Media that the public should “distinguish between actual military works used command and control forces and a social media feed used by a public affairs officer.”
He also described the situation as “hugely embarrassing” for CentCom. “It’s this meme of a powerful institution embarrassed by the little guy. It’s a meme that resonates,” he remarked.