U.S. Central Command Confirms ISIL-Claimed Hack of Its Twitter, YouTube Accounts

U.S. Central Command confirmed that hackers claiming to belong to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terrorist group temporarily took control of the military command’s Twitter and YouTube accounts earlier Monday. The hackers claimed their actions were retaliation for recent U.S. military actions in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. Both accounts went offline soon after the hacking occurred and remained suspended at our deadline. The hackers changed the profile picture and background image on the command’s Twitter page to an image of an ISIL militant that included the word “Cybercaliphate” and the phrase “i love you isis,” referring to the group’s alternate name Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Hackers sent out multiple Tweets, including images that listed the phone numbers and email addresses of active-duty and retired U.S. Army officers. Another Tweet included an image of a document listing purported “scenarios” involving China and North Korea. Hackers also uploaded several videos to Central Command’s YouTube account. “We are taking appropriate measures to address the matter,” a command spokesman said. The hacks occurred as President Barack Obama began a four-day rollout of proposed broadband and cybersecurity policies (see 1501120043 and 1501120045).