The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) bolstered a warning issued earlier by the Pentagon to troops and their families to be careful in their use of social media to avoid becoming a target for ISIS, Pentagon officials said Monday.
Army Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, confirmed that the FBI and DHS had issued a federal bulletin urging that service members "exercise the maximum amount of vigilance" online. He said that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has issued numerous threats to attack members of the military in the U.S.
In the advisory, the FBI and DHS recommended that "current and former members of the military review their online social media accounts for any information that might serve to attract the attention of ISIL (ISIS) and its supporters," ABC News said in quoting the advisory.
The federal warning also advised that troops "routinely exercise operational security in their interactions online." An FBI spokeswoman confirmed that the advisory went out to "partners" in the federal government but declined to discuss details.
Warren said the warnings went out after separate attacks in Canada last month by two young men claiming to be ISIS followers killed two Canadian service members.
In October, the Pentagon warned employees to change travel routes, remove identifiable logos and avoid posting anything online that would link them to the Defense Department.
-- Richard Sisk can be reached at richard.sisk@monster.com
