Local military families are taking steps to protect themselves after the faces, names and addresses of about 100 service members, including some from San Diego, were posted online by a group called the Islamic State Hacking Division.
In the threat, the group asked that attacks be carried out against members of the military conducting airstrikes on ISIS.
One of the ships listed was San Diego-based aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson.
A local military spouse, who did not want to reveal her identity for safety reasons, told NBC 7 she was concerned as soon as she heard about the posting.
“It was frightening, very frightening,” the woman said. “My gut reaction, are we on that list because my husband is active duty?”
She said she and her active-duty husband changed their social media accounts and eliminated any pictures or references to the military. Their privacy settings are switched so only friends and family can see their accounts.
Nathan Fletcher -- a Marine veteran, former state Assemblyman and a Truman National Security Project board member -- thinks this threat will backfire for the terror group.
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“Americans don't react well to being bullied and service members in particular,” he said. “And I think what you are going to see is a tremendous pushback, and I think it will be a great miscalculation of the part of ISIS.”
NCIS has contacted the people on the threat list; they are working the FBI. A defense official told NBC 7 Monday that safety is always a primary concern and the Department of Defense is encouraging personnel to exercise appropriate operational security (OPSEC) and force protection procedures.
On Monday, USS Carl Vinson’s commanding officer posted this on the Vinson's Facebook page: "Personal safety and operational security must be a consideration as we live our lives in today's Internet and socially connected society. We continually train our Sailors to be smart about how they use social media, and this latest event is a good reminder to guard personal information."
That means military personnel and their families need to be vigilant and be aware of their surroundings.
The DOD says there is no indication there has been a data breach. Many of the images of the service members can be found on public military websites.
But without specifics and with limited resources, the FBI says they can't protect every member threatened. The fear is that a lone wolf who sympathizes with ISIS might carry out an attack, similar to the one in Canada.
