Cyber Incident Victim: United States Department of Defense
Date:
Dec 2015
Location:
United States of America
Summary
ISIS-affiliated hackers leaked personal information of 160 military personnel from France and the U.S., including names, addresses, phone numbers, and emails, targeting mid-level officials, French lieutenant generals, colonels, and U.S. Strategic Command officers. The Islamic Cyber Army released the data via ISIS-linked social media accounts in retaliation for Anonymous' trolling campaigns and prior defacement of ISIS websites. The group claimed possession of unreleased data on 700 additional personnel, escalating ongoing cyber hostilities between the factions. This incident follows previous ISIS-linked breaches targeting military personnel through hit lists and government server compromises. The U.S. Department of Defense had not commented on the leaks at the time of reporting.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 2 motives | 1 technique |
| Threat Actors | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 2 actors | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
On December 14, 2015, ISIS-affiliated hackers operating under the name "Islamic Cyber Army" or "Cyber Caliphate" leaked personal information of 160 alleged military personnel from France and the United States. This action was a direct response to Anonymous' "ISIS Trolling Day" on December 11, during which the hacktivist group had defaced ISIS websites with mocking content, including replacing one site with a Viagra advertisement. The leaked data included full names, home addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses of mid-level military officials, specifically mentioning at least one French lieutenant general, several French colonels, and communications officers from the U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM). The information appeared on multiple ISIS-controlled social media accounts monitored by the SITE Intelligence Group. The hackers claimed possession of data for an additional 700 military personnel that remained unpublished. No official statements were issued by the U.S. Department of Defense or French Ministry of Defense regarding the breach.
This incident formed part of an ongoing cyber conflict between ISIS and Anonymous that intensified following the November 2015 Paris attacks. ISIS had previously leaked sensitive military data in March 2015 by publishing a "Hacked Hit List" of 100 U.S. military personnel with explicit calls for their assassination. In August 2015, the group's "Islamic State Hacking Division" released hundreds of records of U.S. government and military personnel obtained through compromised government servers. The December leak represented a continuation of ISIS' strategy to retaliate against cyber operations targeting their online presence while attempting to incite physical violence against military personnel. Anonymous concurrently expanded its campaign beyond ISIS during this period, targeting figures like Donald Trump over statements they believed aided ISIS recruitment.