U.S. national security officials are warning that Muslim jihadists are planning a major cyberattack against vital infrastructure soon.
The alert was sent following a report on a Muslim website Monday by two groups that announced in Arabic an “Open Invitation for All Hackers to Participate in ‘Operation Black Summer’ To Target U.S. Vital Services.”
The Muslim attackers plan to use the Twitter hashtag #opBlackSummer to wage electronic warfare against the United States with other jihadists.
“It is also essential to note that this raid will be a global one in which all the enemies of the United States, whether Muslims or non-Muslims, will take part,” the posting stated, noting that Osama bin Laden had advocated such attacks.
The message said one group involved in the attack is the al Qaeda Digital Army and appeared on the al Qaeda-linked website Ansar al-Mujahideen Network.