Cyber Incident Victim: USS Kidd
Date:
Oct 2021
Location:
United States of America
Summary
The USS Kidd Navy destroyer's official Facebook page was compromised by unauthorized actors who altered its profile to a "Gaming Video Creator" and livestreamed several hours of 'Age of Empires' gameplay, accompanied by humorous posts and interactions. The Navy confirmed the breach, noting Facebook was securing access to restore control. While the incident drew public amusement, it highlighted significant cybersecurity risks, including the loss of control over an official military communication channel, potential for misinformation, and exploitation of compromised accounts for broader attacks. Security experts suggested credential reuse or shared logins without multifactor authentication as likely vulnerabilities enabling the takeover, emphasizing threats to operational trust and morale through such social-media compromises.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 1 motive | 1 technique |
| Threat Actors | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 0 actors | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
On October 3, 2021, the official Facebook page of the USS Kidd (DDG 100), a U.S. Navy destroyer, was compromised by unauthorized actors. The hackers first gained control at approximately 10:26 p.m. on Sunday, October 3, altering the page’s “About” section to classify it as a “Gaming Video Creator.” They posted a message reading “Hahahahaha” and initiated a four-hour livestream of gameplay from the real-time strategy title *Age of Empires*. The attackers anthropomorphized the warship in these streams, depicting it as an enthusiastic player attempting to advance a civilization through historical milestones. Five additional livestreams were broadcast on October 4 before activity ceased. The content attracted tens of thousands of views and hundreds of comments, including remarks about the ship’s gaming skills and references to October’s designation as Cybersecurity Awareness Month. The USS Kidd had recently concluded a deployment in late September, and its social media team did not regain control during the incident.
The U.S. Navy confirmed the breach through spokesperson Cmdr. Nicole Schwegman, stating the page suffered “unauthorized access from an unknown entity.” As of October 7, Facebook’s security team was working to restore Navy control, though recovery remained incomplete. While no operational systems or classified networks were affected, the compromise highlighted vulnerabilities in military social media use. Cybersecurity experts noted the incident demonstrated risks associated with official communication channels being hijacked, particularly for military family-readiness groups reliant on such platforms. The prolonged inability to terminate the streams or reclaim the page underscored procedural gaps in incident response for non-critical systems. Public reaction focused on the humorous nature of the content, but the breach raised concerns about potential misuse for disinformation, phishing, or morale disruption had the intruders pursued more malicious objectives.