In October 2021, the official **Facebook page of the USS Kidd**, a U.S. Navy warship, was compromised by an unidentified hacker. The attacker took control of the page and streamed gameplay footage of *Age of Empires* for approximately **four days** before the Navy regained access. While no sensitive military data, operational details, or classified information was exposed, the incident resulted in a **loss of reputational control** and public embarrassment for the U.S. Navy. The hack demonstrated vulnerabilities in the Navy’s **social media security protocols**, raising concerns about the potential for more severe cyber intrusions targeting military public-facing platforms. Although the breach did not directly impact national security or operational capabilities, the unauthorized access and prolonged loss of control over an official military communication channel highlighted gaps in cybersecurity oversight for non-classified but high-visibility digital assets. The incident also prompted internal reviews of social media account management practices across Defense Department entities.
TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/us-navy
"id": "us-425092125",
"linkid": "us-navy",
"type": "Cyber Attack",
"date": "10/2021",
"severity": "60",
"impact": "2",
"explanation": "Attack limited on finance or reputation"{'affected_entities': [{'industry': 'Defense / Government',
'location': 'United States',
'name': 'USS Kidd (DDG-100)',
'type': 'Military (U.S. Navy Warship)'}],
'date_detected': '2021-10-XX',
'date_resolved': '2021-10-XX (approximately 4 days after detection)',
'description': 'In October 2021, the Facebook page of the warship USS Kidd '
'was hacked by an unknown actor. The hacker streamed gameplay '
'of the game ‘Age of Empires’ on the page for about four days '
'before control was regained. The motive and method of the '
'hack remain unclear.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'Potential reputational harm due to '
'unauthorized content being streamed on '
'an official military page',
'downtime': '4 days (loss of control over the Facebook page)',
'operational_impact': 'Loss of control over official social media '
'communication channel',
'systems_affected': ['Facebook page of USS Kidd']},
'investigation_status': 'Unclear (motive and method of hack remain unknown)',
'response': {'remediation_measures': 'Regained control of the Facebook page '
'after 4 days'},
'threat_actor': 'Unknown',
'title': "Hacking of USS Kidd's Facebook Page",
'type': 'Social Media Account Compromise'}