US Marines targeted by “unsubstantiated” threats from Iran-linked group

A number of US Marine Corps personnel, civilian employees, and their family members received threatening text messages this week from a hacking group linked to Iran, though US authorities have described the threats as unsubstantiated.

In a statement to CNN on Friday, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) said the messages were part of an apparent digital harassment campaign.

One of the messages reviewed by CNN read: “Your identities are fully known to our missile units, and every move you make is under our surveillance.”

Some recipients responded dismissively. According to a screenshot shared by the hackers, one service member replied, “Good luck,” adding sunglasses and American flag emojis.

The same Iranian-linked group also claimed this week that it had leaked personal contact information for US Marines stationed in the Middle East, at a time when the US and Iran are observing a fragile ceasefire.

US officials have sought to downplay the immediate risk posed by the messages. “These types of digital harassment and misinformation campaigns are routinely monitored by authorities and generally intended to cause alarm rather than signal an actual physical danger,” an NCIS spokesperson told CNN.

The incident follows a broader warning issued last month by the US Navy’s top civilian official. The Department of the Navy circulated a memo urging personnel to strengthen their online security in response to “adversary cyber actors” targeting service members and their families.

“These actors seek to psychologically influence DON [Department of Navy] personnel and their families, and also seek to trick personnel into clicking on potentially malicious links, the memo states.

The Iranian hacking group involved has previously been associated with psychological operations designed to amplify the perceived impact of its cyber activities. In March, it hacked the personal email account of Kash Patel and released years-old photos of him online.

By Tamilla Hasanova