As Islamic State group issues hit list, Whiteman urges troops to protect online identity

Commanders at Whiteman Air Force Base told troops there this week to clamp down on privacy settings to various online accounts after a group calling itself the Islamic State Hacking Division issued a hit list of 100 members of the U.S. military.

Yet a base spokesman said Tuesday he could not confirm “the identity of any specific service members on the list or where they are stationed.”

Last weekend, the purported Islamic State group posted the names and addresses of the 100 and called for sympathizers in the United States to murder them.

The Whiteman spokesman said the Air Force Office of Special investigations is working with federal and local authorities while the base has “taken the appropriate steps to make sure that everyone impacted has been notified.”

“As it relates to personal social media accounts, we are encouraging personnel to remove personal details such as physical addresses, email addresses and phone numbers,” Capt. Karl Wiest, a base spokesman, said in an email.

Whiteman, about 60 miles southeast of Kansas City, is home to the 509th Bomb Wing and the B-2 stealth bomber.

This story was originally published March 24, 2015 at 11:29 AM.