With ongoing fears on Islamic State terrorism, the U.S. military is now dealing with a new ISIS security threat: hackers passing confidential military information to the terrorist group.
Last week, a hacker who allegedly passed information on more than one thousand U.S. military security personnel to ISI, was arrested in Malaysia, according to Reuters. The 20-year-old man, Ardit Ferizi from Kosovo, is said to be studying computer science and forensics.
Authorities are concerned that the information transfer was the first step in ISIS plans to target U.S. military personnel in future attacks.
Still, U.S. government officials describe ISIS hacking attempts as clumsy and say they have not shown to be connected to any harm.
But Ferizi’s group, which calls themselves Kosova Hacker’s Security, is seen to be more sophisticated and is known for its social media savvy, using online platforms to spread the ISIS message and recruit members.
Ferizi is charged with a breach that landed him information on 1,351 U.S. military personnel and federal employees, and with supporting ISIS in plotting against U.S. personnel.
A document connected to an ISIS hacker who Ferizi allegedly supplied information to stated, that information from the hacking would be passed on to Islamic State fighters “who soon with the permission of Allah will strike at [American] necks in your own lands!”