US Central Command’s Twitter, YouTube accounts hacked

World Today

In what appeared to be an infiltration of the U.S. Central Command’s Twitter account Monday by hackers claiming to be Islamic State sympathizers, a string of tweets such as “Pentagon Networks Hacked!” and “In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, the CyberCaliphate continues its CyberJihad” were posted to the command’s account a little after noon on Monday. The account’s Twitter banner was also changed to the phrase “i love isis.” U.S. Central Command’s (CENTCOM) YouTube account also appeared to be hacked.

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The eight tweets sent before Twitter froze the account also include PowerPoint slides of maps and diagrams of what appear to be military engagement strategies, similar to what’s been shown from previous leaks, such as those made available by Edward Snowden. A few also included the supposed names, phone numbers, email addresses, and other sensitive information of military officials.

Calls made by CCTV America to a few of the phone numbers went to department voice mails.

CCTV America’s Jim Spellman reported more on the story.

Islamic State videos were also posted to CENTCOM’s YouTube site, supposedly showing IS military operations.

A U.S. senior defense official confirmed on condition of anonymity that both U.S. Central Command’s Twitter and YouTube accounts were compromised. The official said CENTCOM was taking appropriate measures to address the issue, according to the Associated Press.

It was unclear what, if any, information was accessed, compromised, or stolen.

The apparent hacking came as U.S. President Barack Obama prepared to outline new proposals to protect the country’s Internet systems from cybersecurity threats, according to Reuters.

U.S.Central Command is one of nine unified commands in the United States military.

Statement from U.S. Central Command Regarding Twitter/YouTube Compromise

TAMPA, Fla. – Earlier today, U.S. Central Command’s Twitter and YouTube sites were compromised for approximately 30 minutes. These sites reside on commercial, non-Defense Department servers and both sites have been temporarily taken offline while we look into the incident further. CENTCOM’s operational military networks were not compromised and there was no operational impact to U.S. Central Command. CENTCOM will restore service to its Twitter and YouTube accounts as quickly as possible. We are viewing this purely as a case of cybervandalism.

In the meantime, our initial assessment is that no classified information was posted and that none of the information posted came from CENTCOM’s server or social media sites. Additionally, we are notifying appropriate DoD and law enforcement authorities about the potential release of personally identifiable information and will take appropriate steps to ensure any individuals potentially affected are notified as quickly as possible.


Security consultant and former hacker Kevin Mitnick discusses CENTCOM hack

CCTV America interviewed security consultant Kevin Mitnick about the CENTCOM hack. Mitnick is the CEO of Mitnick Security and has been dubbed “the world’s most famous hacker.”


Security expert Robert Siciliano of Hotspot Shield discusses CENTCOM hack

CCTV America interviewed Robert Siciliano, a security expert of Hotspot Shield about how serious the CENTCOM hack was, and how the U.S. can deal with cyber vandalism and cyberterrorism.

Security expert Robert Siciliano of Hotspot Shield discusses CENTCOM hack

CCTV America interviewed Robert Siciliano, a security expert of Hotspot Shield about how serious the CENTCOM hack was, and how the U.S. can deal with cyber vandalism and cyberterrorism.