LEAKING INFORMATION OF U.S. MILITARY, ISIL HACKER CAPTURED IN MALAYSIA

Ilustration: Islamic State hacker. (Photo: ARA News file)

Washington, 4 Muharram 1436/17 October 2015 (MINA) – A hacker linked to the Islamic State (ISIL) group who was arrested by Malaysian authorities is to be handed over to the United States because of leaking personal information of U.S. military and government personnel.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) has said in a statement that the hacker is called Ardit Ferizi. He is believed to be the leader of a Kosovar internet hacking group called Kosova Hacker’s Security (KHS).

Kosovo citizen Ardit Ferizi was arrested in Malaysia on charges of providing material support to ISIL, committing computer hacking, as well as releasing personally identifiable information (PII) of U.S. service members and federal employees, according to the DoJ.

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“Washington seeks handing him over to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of Virginia to stand trial,” the DoJ said.

“Ferizi had hacked into the computer system of a U.S.-based company and stolen the PII of thousands of individuals, which was then handed to ISIS (ISIL) to be used against those employees,” the source added, ARA News quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

On Aug 11, 2015, a tweet was posted under the title ‘NEW: U.S. Military AND Government HACKED by the Islamic State Hacking Division!’ which contained a hyperlink to a 30-page document.

In the confidential document, there were threats from ISIL against the employees, saying: “we are in your emails and computer systems, watching and recording your every move.”

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“We are extracting confidential data and passing on your personal information to the Khilafah (ISIL’ alleged caliphate) soldiers, who soon with the permission of Allah will strike at your necks in your own land,” the group’s message read.

The remaining 27 pages in the document contained names and personal information, e-mail addresses, e-mail passwords, locations and phone numbers of 1,351 U.S. military and government personnel.

DoJ indicated that the tweet was meant to leak the information to ISIL loyalists in the U.S. and other countries in order to urge ISIL member attacks against those individuals. (T/P001/R04)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)