ISIS Hacking Division releases names and other personal information of 100 U.S. military men in social media and urges supporters to carry out "lone wolf" attacks and kill everyone on the list whenever and wherever they can. The group claimed that the list was obtained by hacking military servers and databases.
The names that are included in the list seemed to have been pulled from news reports that revolve around the execution of airstrikes against ISIS. There is also a speculation that the accompanying photos and personal information have all been gathered from public records and social media.
According to ISIS, the 100 service members had a direct participation in attacking ISIS overseas. However, some have argued that there are those in the list who had nothing to do with the anti-ISIS attacks.
"It appears the list is people who are active on social media or who have spoken to press," said one official from the Department of Defense.
One example showing that some names should not be included are the B-52 bomber crew members who were stationed in North Dakota and Louisiana. These members have never been involved in anti-ISIS campaign.
The Pentagon is currently investigating the matter after the group had posted the leaked information over the Internet.
"I can't confirm the validity of the information, but we are looking into it," said one U.S. defense official.
The group who identified themselves as the "Islamic State Hacking Division" made their post in English and addressed their message to disbelievers, Christians and "crusaders" in the U.S. Some of the leaked information included details such as the person's military service branch, military rank, and his street address.
"With the huge amount of data we have from various different servers and databases, we have decided to leak 100 addresses so that our brothers in America can deal with you," the group said in the post. "And now we have made it easy for you by giving you addresses, all you need to do is take the final step, so what are you waiting for?"
Both the FBI and the Defense Department do not believe that any government servers were hacked as claimed by the group. One official said that most of the information are readily available in public records, social media and residential address search sites.
The U.S. Marine Corps plans to visit the affected staff in the posting while urging those concerned to take caution online.
"It is recommended Marines and family members check their online/social footprint, ensuring privacy settings are adjusted to limit the amount of available personal information," said U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel John Caldwell.
PHOTOS:
The National Guard I Flickr
DVIDSHUB I Flickr
