U.S. Central Command calls the hacking of its Twitter account 'cybervandalism'

last updated 13 January 2015

On Monday, a group claiming allegiance to Islamic State took over the Twitter account and YouTube page of U.S. Central Command, posting militant videos, threats to U.S. troops, and names and addresses for U.S. generals. CENTCOM is in charge of U.S. military operations in the Middle East and Central Asia. The Pentagon downplayed the incident, with CENTCOM saying in a statement it is "viewing this purely as a case of cybervandalism."

"It's inconvenient, it's an annoyance, but in no way is any sensitive or classified information compromised," Army Colonel Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, said in a press briefing. Still, after about a half hour, the military shut down the Twitter and YouTube accounts. As of early, Tuesday, the Twitter account is active again and shows no sign of ISIS cyber-mischief:

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.

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