Hackers hijack accounts in burst of attacks

Tuesday was a day filled with cyberattacks, both serious and trivial.

It started with the Cyber Caliphate, a pro-Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group that took over the Twitter feeds of Newsweek magazine and the wife of a U.S. Marine.

{mosads}Posting the image of a masked man and a jihadist flag, the group released a threat to the Obama family on Newsweek‘s account.

“Bloody Valentine’s Day #MichelleObama!” the tweet stated. “We’re watching you, you girls and your husband!”

The Marine’s wife received a message that was similarly menacing.

“You think you’re safe but the IS is already here,” read one message posted to the account. “We know everything about you, your husband and your children and we’re much closer than you can even imagine. You’ll see no mercy infidel!”

The websites of several media outlets affiliated with Newsweek were compromised by what appeared by the same group.

Those companies, which included the International Business Times and Latin Times, had regained control of their Web presences by the late afternoon.

The Cyber Caliphate has a history of targeting prominent social media accounts to air its messages supporting ISIS. The group previously hacked the Twitter feed of the U.S. Central Command and appeared to temporarily disable the website for Malaysia Airlines at the beginning of January.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking into the Newsweek Twitter hack due to the threats to the first family, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Tuesday.
 
Meanwhile, two other hacks went viral on Tuesday for less serious reasons.

The Facebook page for Delta Airlines was breached and the attackers posted an image that appeared obscene on first glance.

Twitter’s chief financial officer, Anthony Noto, also lost control of his personal Twitter account as hackers sent hundreds of spam tweets over about 20 minutes.