Pro-Iran Hackers Compromise U.S. Space Force Senior Official's Instagram Account
On May 31, 2026, pro-Iranian hackers breached the official Instagram account of Chief Master Sergeant John Bentivegna of the U.S. Space Force, posting pro-Iranian and anti-American propaganda for several hours. Content included images of Islamic figures, audio from Vietnam War propagandist 'Hanoi Hannah', and references to deceased Iranian official Ali Larijani. Bentivegna alerted followers via Facebook, and Meta helped remove the posts by June 1. The Space Force confirmed the breach, emphasizing cybersecurity vigilance. The same hackers also targeted former President Obama's White House Instagram account.
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Hackers Compromise Senior Space Force Official's Instagram, Post Anti-American Propaganda
On Sunday, hackers took control of the Instagram account of Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force John Bentivegna, posting pro-Iranian and anti-American content for an undisclosed number of hours. The unauthorized posts included images of Imam Ali holding the Sword of Zulfiqar, a depiction of Husayn ibn Ali, and audio from Vietnamese wartime propagandist 'Hanoi Hannah' with captions threatening those who approach the Middle East. Another story featured an image of deceased Iranian official Ali Larijani. The hackers also targeted former President Barack Obama's White House Instagram account with similar content. By Monday morning, the posts were removed with assistance from Meta. Bentivegna alerted followers via Facebook, advising them not to engage with any suspicious messages from the compromised account. A Space Force spokesperson confirmed the breach and emphasized the importance of strong cybersecurity practices, noting that online threats are constantly evolving.
Military TimesHackers compromise U.S. Space Force senior official's Instagram with anti-American propaganda
On Sunday, hackers gained control of Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force John Bentivegna's Instagram account, posting pro-Iranian and anti-American content including images of Islamic figures, audio from Vietnam War propagandist 'Hanoi Hannah,' and references to Iranian officials. The unauthorized posts, which included Arabic text threatening those who approach the Middle East, were removed by Monday morning with assistance from Meta. A Space Force spokesperson confirmed the breach but declined to comment on duration or perpetrators, emphasizing evolving online threats. Bentivegna warned followers not to engage with suspicious messages. The hackers also targeted former President Barack Obama's White House Instagram account with similar content.
Air Force TimesHackers Compromise Senior Space Force Official's Instagram with Anti-American Propaganda
On Sunday, hackers took control of Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force John Bentivegna's Instagram account, posting pro-Iranian and anti-American content for several hours. The unauthorized posts included images of Islamic figures Imam Ali and Husayn ibn Ali, audio from Vietnam War propagandist 'Hanoi Hannah' with a caption warning against approaching the Middle East, and an image of Iranian official Ali Larijani. Hackers also posted a Game of Thrones reference with Arabic text. Bentivegna alerted followers via Facebook, advising them not to engage with the compromised account. Meta assisted in removing the content by Monday morning. A Space Force spokesperson confirmed the breach and emphasized the importance of cybersecurity vigilance. The same hackers also targeted former President Barack Obama's White House Instagram account with similar content.
Military TimesHackers Compromise Senior U.S. Space Force Official's Instagram, Post Anti-American Propaganda
On Sunday, hackers took control of the Instagram account of Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force John Bentivegna, posting pro-Iranian and anti-American content for an undisclosed number of hours. The unauthorized posts included images of Imam Ali holding the Sword of Zulfiqar, a depiction of Husayn ibn Ali, audio from Vietnam War propagandist 'Hanoi Hannah' with a caption warning about the Middle East, an edit of Iranian official Ali Larijani, and a Game of Thrones-themed graphic referencing an 'Army of the Red One.' The hackers also targeted former President Barack Obama's White House Instagram account with similar content. By early Monday, the posts were removed with assistance from Meta. A Space Force spokesperson confirmed the compromise but declined to comment on the hackers' identity or duration of access. Bentivegna warned followers not to engage with suspicious messages from the account, emphasizing the incident as a reminder of evolving cybersecurity threats.
C4ISRNetHackers compromise U.S. Space Force senior official's Instagram, post pro-Iranian and anti-American propaganda
On Sunday, June 1, 2026, hackers gained control of the Instagram account of Chief Master Sergeant of the U.S. Space Force John Bentivegna, posting multiple anti-American and pro-Iranian images and stories. The compromised content included depictions of Imam Ali with the Sword of Zulfiqar, Husayn ibn Ali, audio from Vietnam War propagandist 'Hanoi Hannah' with a caption warning about the Middle East, an image of Iranian official Ali Larijani, and a Game of Thrones reference with Arabic text. The hackers also targeted former President Barack Obama's White House Instagram account with similar content. Bentivegna alerted followers via Facebook, advising them not to engage with any messages from the compromised account. The unauthorized content was removed by Monday morning with assistance from Meta. A Space Force spokesperson confirmed the breach but declined to comment on the duration or perpetrators, emphasizing evolving online threats and the need for strong cybersecurity practices.
C4ISRNetHackers compromise U.S. Space Force senior official's Instagram with anti-American propaganda
On Sunday, June 1, 2026, hackers gained control of the Instagram account of Chief Master Sergeant of the U.S. Space Force John Bentivegna, posting pro-Iranian and anti-American content for several hours. The unauthorized posts included images of Islamic figures Imam Ali and Husayn ibn Ali, audio from Vietnam War propagandist 'Hanoi Hannah' with Arabic captions threatening those who approach the Middle East, and references to Iranian officials Ali Larijani and Qasem Soleimani. The hackers also targeted former President Barack Obama's White House Instagram account with similar content. Meta assisted in removing the posts by early Monday morning. A Space Force spokesperson confirmed the breach but declined to identify the perpetrators or the duration of access. Bentivegna warned followers via Facebook not to engage with any messages from the compromised account, emphasizing the incident as a reminder of evolving cybersecurity threats.
C4ISRNetHackers Compromise Senior U.S. Space Force Official's Instagram, Post Anti-American Propaganda
On Sunday, hackers took control of the Instagram account of Chief Master Sergeant of the U.S. Space Force John Bentivegna, posting pro-Iranian and anti-American content for an undisclosed number of hours. The hackers shared images and stories featuring Islamic religious figures, audio from Vietnam War propagandist 'Hanoi Hannah' with Arabic captions threatening U.S. involvement in the Middle East, and references to Iranian officials. The unauthorized content was removed by Monday morning with assistance from Meta. A Space Force spokesperson confirmed the breach and emphasized the need for strong cybersecurity practices. Bentivegna warned followers not to engage with suspicious messages from the compromised account. The hackers also targeted former President Barack Obama's White House Instagram account with similar content.
Air Force TimesHackers Compromise Senior Space Force Official's Instagram, Post Anti-American Propaganda
On Sunday, hackers compromised the Instagram account of Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force John Bentivegna, posting pro-Iranian and anti-American content for an undisclosed number of hours. The unauthorized posts included images of Imam Ali holding the Sword of Zulfiqar, a depiction of Husayn ibn Ali, audio from Vietnam War propagandist 'Hanoi Hannah' with a caption warning against approaching the Middle East, and an image of Iranian official Ali Larijani. The hackers also posted a photo from Game of Thrones with Arabic text referencing the 'Army of the Red One.' By 1 a.m. EST Monday, the content was removed with assistance from Meta. A Space Force spokesperson confirmed the hack but declined to comment on duration or responsibility, using the incident to emphasize evolving online threats and cybersecurity practices. Bentivegna warned followers via Facebook not to engage with suspicious messages. The hackers also targeted former President Barack Obama's White House Instagram account with similar content.
Military TimesHackers Compromise Senior U.S. Space Force Official's Instagram, Post Anti-American Propaganda
On Sunday, hackers took control of the Instagram account of Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force John Bentivegna, posting pro-Iranian and anti-American content for several hours. The unauthorized posts included images of Islamic figures Imam Ali and Husayn ibn Ali, audio from Vietnam War propagandist 'Hanoi Hannah' with a caption warning about the Middle East, and a photo of Iranian official Ali Larijani. Hackers also targeted former President Barack Obama's White House Instagram account with similar imagery. Bentivegna alerted followers via Facebook, advising them not to engage with any messages from the compromised account. The Space Force confirmed the breach and stated that all unauthorized content was removed with assistance from Meta. The incident underscores evolving online threats and the need for strong cybersecurity practices.
Air Force TimesChief Master Sergeant of Space Force's Instagram Hacked by Pro-Iran Hackers
On May 31, 2026, pro-Iranian hackers compromised the official Instagram account of John Bentivegna, the Chief Master Sergeant of the U.S. Space Force. Over several hours, the hackers posted pro-Iranian art, anti-American messages, and stories referencing the Battle of the Bastards from 'Game of Thrones,' footage of deceased Iranian official Ali Larijani, and audio from Vietnam War propagandist 'Hanoi Hannah' with a Farsi warning. Bentivegna acknowledged the breach on Facebook, advising followers not to engage with suspicious content. Space Force confirmed the compromise and stated they were working to regain access. The incident follows reports that U.S. military personnel in war zones are being tracked via commercial location data, a threat the Pentagon has known about for over a decade according to Senator Ron Wyden.
Task & PurposeChief Master Sergeant of Space Force Instagram Account Hacked by Pro-Iran Hackers
On May 31, 2026, pro-Iran hackers compromised the official Instagram account of John Bentivegna, the Chief Master Sergeant of the U.S. Space Force. For several hours, the account posted pro-Iranian and anti-American content, including images, stories featuring footage of deceased Iranian official Ali Larijani, and audio from Vietnam War propagandist 'Hanoi Hannah' with a Farsi warning. Bentivegna acknowledged the breach on Facebook, advising followers not to engage with suspicious messages. The posts were removed by early June 1. The method of access remains unclear, and Space Force did not immediately comment. The incident follows recent reports that U.S. military personnel are being tracked via commercial location data by adversaries.
Task & PurposeChief Master Sergeant of Space Force's Instagram Hacked by Pro-Iran Hackers
On May 31, 2026, pro-Iranian hackers compromised the official Instagram account of John Bentivegna, the Chief Master Sergeant of the U.S. Space Force. For several hours, the account posted pro-Iranian art, anti-American messages, and stories referencing the death of Iranian official Ali Larijani and Vietnam War propagandist Hanoi Hannah. Bentivegna acknowledged the breach on Facebook, warning followers not to engage with suspicious content. The Space Force confirmed the compromise and stated they were working to regain control. The incident follows reports that U.S. military personnel in war zones are being tracked via commercial location data, a threat the Pentagon has known about for over a decade according to Senator Ron Wyden.
Task & Purpose