The hacktivist collective Syrian Electronic Army (SEA) plans to release U.S. military data it obtained in an alleged hack of the U.S. Central Command.
On Friday, the group posted a screenshot via a Twitter account of information it allegedly gained access to as part of ongoing operation, dubbed “CENTCOM.” Namely, a folder containing 21,866 Fleet Forces Command files were shown in the image.
The U.S. Fleet Forces Command provides training, coordination and support for the U.S. Navy.
That day, SEA also tweeted that operation CENTCOM was “now in motion” due to President Obama's decision to “attack Syria with electronic warfare.”
The group also said that “in the coming days,” it will update the public with “specific details and hundreds of documents” that it obtained. SEA claimed on Twitter that it had “already successfully penetrated many central repositories.”
This is part of an on-going operation and we have already successfully penetrated many central repositories. #SEA pic.twitter.com/DSUzuFHmkN
— SyrianElectronicArmy (@Official_SEA16) March 14, 2014The U.S. Central Command is one of nine unified commands in the U.S. military, which has an area of responsibility covering 20 countries, including Syria, Afghanistan, Egypt, Iran, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates.
The Hacker News, which first reported on the alleged hack and looming leak, noted that SEA appeared to have hacked into the repository of Army Knowledge Online (AKO) to obtain data. AKO provides web-based enterprise information services to the Army and Department of Defense customers.
SEA has been linked to a number of high-profile cyber attacks, including its more recent hack of Forbes. In that attack, the group is believed to have gained access to Forbes' WordPress admin to steal login credentials, as well as post fake stories on its website.
