Internet Trolls to Blame for Grounding of Flights, Not Terrorists
Jeff Edwards January 30, 2015
A series of flights in recent days have evacuated as the result of bomb threats issued via social media, heightening growing security concerns raised by a spate of cyber-hoaxes.
While authorities continue to treat each and every cyber-threat to passenger planes as a serious security issue, in at least one case, the threats that scrambled fighter jets and spurred both investigators and airlines to take emergency action appear to be the work of a run-of-the-mill internet troll, not the master plans of radical terrorist groups.
Deleted tweets recovered by Boston Globe reveal that the Twitter account used to make bomb threats against Delta Air Lines Flight 1156 from Portland international Airport (PDX) to Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) used popular internet memes in the exchange. The account used in the hoax claimed that the threats were issued “for the lulz” — an online shorthand often used to mean “just for the fun of it.”
The bomb threat was the first of two issued from the now-disabled Twitter account @kingZortic on Saturday. A second bomb threat against Southwest Airlines Flight 2492 from General Mitchell International Airport (MKE) to ATL which was escorted by F-16 fighter jets until it landed safely.
USA Today reported on Tuesday that five additional cyber threats to commercial aircraft on Monday have been linked to “about a half dozen hacker-type accounts” including one claiming to represent the “ISIS Penguins.”
Though the recent string of threats against commercial flights have been determined to be a series of hoaxes, FBI Special Agent Stephen Emmett told the AP that investigators are not taking these incidents lightly, ‘‘We certainly take these types of threats seriously and we’re pursuing them aggressively.’’
While there were no bombs found on any of the the threatened flights, the disruption in travel and the diversion of essential resource caused by the spike in these so-called pranks is making for an increasingly troubling trend.
[Photo: Gage Skidmore via Flickr]
I agree with the sentiment and title here, although I thought trolls were slightly cuter than the pic.
Twitter needs to take a little fault in this. Post a DM or tweet to an airline support/help address with words "bomb" or similar Twitter should ack back with "Before we post this please confirm you want this threat sent as we will be taking extra steps to track your information and you are violating (whatever laws mentioned) Put that up before a tweet is confirmed posted and watch the 15 year old morons stop doing this.
"the spike in these so-called pranks is making for an increasingly troubling trend" Could not disagree more. They are pranks evidently and by the very definition. What is troubling is that large agencies choose to take anonymous social media posts so serious that they are willing to disrupt people's business lives and ground flights in the very transparent attempt to aggrandize their powers. If there are no standards and thresholds for what has to be taken seriously, this is basically a blueprint for any cyber enemy how to severely disrupt daily operations.