‘CyberCaliphate’ hacks Newsweek’s Twitter account, Threatens Obamas

Feb 10 (Reuters) - Hackers calling themselves "CyberCaliphate" threatened U.S. President Barack Obama and his family when they took control of Newsweek magazine's Twitter account on Tuesday with the words "Je suIS IS," a reference to Islamic State and the deadly attack at French newspaper Charlie Hebdo.

The group, which also took responsibility for hacking Pentagon social media accounts last month, tweeted "#CyberCaliphate Bloody Valentine's Day #MichelleObama! We're watching you, you girls and your husband!"

The Twitter account showed a head wrapped in a black-and-white scarf next to a banner proclaiming "CyberCaliphate."

The "Je suIS IS" was a reference to the phrase "Je suis Charlie" that emerged last month in support of victims of the attack by Islamic militants on Charlie Hebdo in Paris that killed 12 people.

Newsweek removed the "CyberCaliphate" banner and tweets and regained control of the account within 14 minutes, the magazine said. The Islamic State militant group has seized territory in Iraq and Syria and has declared itself a "caliphate."

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It also posted a message intended for the United States in retaliation for its actions in the Muslim world.

“While the U.S. and its satellites are killing our brothers in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, we are destroying your national cyber security system from inside,” it said.

The message contained a list of names under the heading “brave mujahideen.”

Newsweek removed the CyberCaliphate banner and tweets by mid-morning. It was not immediately clear how long the intrusion lasted.

The group took responsibility for the intrusion last month of the Twitter and YouTube accounts for the U.S. Central Command, which oversees operations in the Middle East. The hackers claimed to be sympathetic toward the Islamic State militant group being targeted in American bombing raids.

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