The Islamic State hacks Twitter and why you should be worried

Islamic State is capable of more than we think.

Islamic State hackers hijacked over 54,000 Twitter accounts on Sunday and posted their details, including passwords, online. The hack is in retaliation for a drone attack that killed a British-born Islamic State computer whiz that established the hacking wing of the terror organization. The attack is chilling because it suggests ISIS is much more capable in the digital realm than commonly believed.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The Cyber Caliphate is a hacking organization that works for the Islamic State and was established by the British-born ISIS fighter, Junaid Hussain. An Allied drone strike killed Hussain last August.

The Cyber Caliphate has now retaliated by hacking 54,000 Twitter accounts, posting names, passwords and publishing propaganda to the hacked accounts. The hackers even managed to post the names and phone numbers of high ranking NSA, CIA, and FBI officials.

The vast majority of the hacked accounts are from Saudi Arabian users. Saudi Arabia is a primary enemy of the Islamic State with the wealthy oil nation working to support nations and factions opposed to the terror organization.

Hussain was a talented hacker, known to have hacked into Tony Blair's email account.

Perhaps the most frightening aspect of the case is that the hackers were able to target their attacks by country, and that they were able to hack accounts of high ranking government officials. While the hacks are little more than a show of bravado, the fact they can hack accounts wherever they want is chilling.

There is no reason to think the Cyber Caliphate cannot hack the Twitter accounts of every American, for example.

Twitter will close any hijacked account, or may help users to recover their accounts. The use of Twitter to share terror propaganda is now forbidden. Previously, Twitter had been a major outlet for news and information from within the Islamic State, and it remains so, but the accounts used by the terrorists are usually closed quickly.

Most people assume the Islamic State militants are gun-toting fanatics with little education or talent, but the terror organization has attracted some top-shelf talent to its ranks. From Hollywood-quality film production to magazine publication, the Islamic State is more capable and more dangerous than most believe.

The successful attack show the increasing capability of the Islamic State to wage unconventional war, and to retaliate against ordinary citizens in order to promote their goals.

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