14 DAY TRIAL // A video posted on YouTube on Monday by supporters of ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) warns that the extremist group managed to hack important websites in the US and Australia, boasting abilities to go past the defenses in little time.
Earlier in the day, reports came on Twitter from different pro-ISIS accounts about a “Message to America” set to be released at around 2PM EST, and soon after the deadline, a video emerged on YouTube.
Hackers boast significant cyber capabilities
The message, directed at the United States and Europe, starts with reiterating the past cyber-attacks of Cyber Caliphate hacker group, acting in the name of ISIS, and the exposure of personal details of American soldiers.
One of the most publicized attacks was the hijack of the Twitter and YouTube accounts of the US Central Command (CENTCOM) back in January.
The hackers inform in the video that the previous cyber-attacks were “just a preface for the future” and that they successfully hacked “the website of the American leadership,” as well as the one for an unnamed airport in Australia. Names of the compromised targets have not been released, though.
Threats continue, saying that anti-ISIS forces are not capable of stopping the activity of the group and that plans for crippling the extremists would soon be published, suggesting that counter-actions have already been prepared.
Not everyone is convinced of ISIS’ hacking skills
Furthermore, the video says that the hackers are at work and monitor the electronic devices, promising evidence of the control they have over the “electronic world.”
Despite the threats made in the video and the previous cyber-attacks, many are not convinced of the hacking abilities ISIS has, especially since the harm done until now is far from being serious and there is no indication of breaching systems storing sensitive information.
J. M. Berger, author of “ISIS: The State of Terror,” is still skeptical about the hacking skills of the group, calling the current clip a “low theater of the absurd.”
However, it is believed that ISIS has Junaid Hussein on its side, a hacker known online under the alias TRiCk, the same one who led the hacker group TeaMp0isoN.
His previous deeds include leaking online personal details of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, which landed him in jail for six months.
What do you get when the media anoints Junaid Hussein as a celebrity? Low theater of the absurd. pic.twitter.com/ckFg9EeQ1I
— J.M. Berger (@intelwire) May 11, 2015
