Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) wants Defense Secretary Ashton Carter to assure the safety of 100 U.S. service members whose personal information was recently published online by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
“I would ask that you do everything possible to immediately offer these 100 publicly identified service members with assistance. You have my support in assembling whatever resources are required to help these families navigate this frightening and dangerous situation and mitigate the threat,” Warner, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Tuesday in a letter to the Pentagon chief.
{mosads}He said the ISIS action “underscores the reality that in a connected world, we must ensure the integrity of sensitive military information, and arm our service members with the tools and knowledge they need to constantly protect themselves against future threats.”
The group “Islamic State Hacking Division” was reportedly behind the leak of personal details of those involved in anti-ISIS bombings, including their names, pictures, unit numbers and addresses.
The group urged ISIS supporters to kill military personnel and their families.
Most of the information posted seemed to be gleaned from social media. Federal law enforcement agencies have repeatedly warned service members to scrub their social media accounts due to the online threat posed by ISIS and other terrorist groups.
The Defense Department and the FBI are reportedly investigating the post.
Warner asked Carter a series of questions about how he plans to address the situation, including what actions are currently being taken to protect the personnel listed in the post; who is leading the investigation into the incident; and if DOD has a process in place for monitoring social media used by military members.
“This new battlefield requires constant vigilance and increased coordination across our government and among our allies,” Warner said. “With an adaptive enemy that uses our technology against us, we need to constantly assess and address our vulnerabilities, including protecting personal and sensitive military information.”