ISIS Targets U.S. Bases in South Korea; Twitter Accounts of ISIS Supporters Hacked
CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. South Korea's National Intelligence Service warns ISIS may be targeting the U.S. military in their country. The NIS says the terror group released information about NATO bases in South Korea and is encouraging attacks on military personnel. Our Paula Hancocks joins us now with more from Seoul, South Korea. Paula, what more do we know about this? And how credible might the threats be?</s>PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary, the NIS thought they were credible enough that they had to make this statement. It's not very usual for the intelligence agency here to be publishing this kind of information. But they say they believe that ISIS has details on 77 U.S. and NATO Air Force facilities around the world, also individuals, and in 21 different countries, including South Korea. They've publicized the details internally on their telegram messaging service. They called on their supporters to carry out attacks against the Air Forces bases and also the individuals. There is one air base in particular that's mentioned here in South Korea, Osan Air Base, which is just about 60 kilometers or 40 miles south of Seoul. Also, NIS has mentioned one individual, a South Korean who is from a welfare organization. They don't say why that person has been individually targeted. They say they are receiving protection at this point. And they have warned the U.S. military here in Korea. And to show that it could be considered credible -- the U.S. forces in Korea are taking it seriously -- they have issued a statement, saying that, "The U.S. Forces, Korea, takes the safety and security of its installations very seriously." Saying they "remain prepared to respond at any time to any emerging threat" -- Rosemary?</s>CHURCH: Paula, why South Korea? What are authorities saying about that?</s>HANCOCKS: The statement seems to say there are installations around the world that are being targeted. South Korea is among those that have been targeted. It is the South Korean intelligence agency saying this. They also say they have been having a problem with ISIS sympathizers recently. Over the past five years or so, about 50 foreigners have been deported because they had links to terrorist organizations, the NIS believed. They said two South Korean citizens were caught trying to join ISIS. The beginning of last year, there was a teenager that traveled to Turkey, believed to be trying to get into Syria to join ISIS. At this point, authorities, the last we heard, don't know where he is. They assume he could be in Syria. This is an emerging problem for South Korea. Not on the scale you see in other countries, but a threat that the South Koreans aren't used to. When they think of attack on their soil, they think of North Korea. They don't think of ISIS. But the NIS is pointing out that thought process has to change -- Rosemary?</s>CHURCH: Certainly. Paula Hancocks keeping us up to date on that story. 3:45 in the afternoon there in Seoul, South Korea. Many thanks to you. ISIS hackers may be targeting foreign militaries, but other hackers are returning the favor. They are trolling the terrorists on social media, with images the extremists find offensive. "CNN Money's" Laurie Segall has the story.</s>LAURIE SEGALL, CNN MONEY TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT: How long does it take you to successfully take over an ISIS members' account on Twitter?</s>UNIDENTIFIED HACKER (voice-over): Once I get the information I need, I can be in an account as fast as 60 seconds.</s>SEGALL: ISIS has been waging a cyber war online. Then there are the folks fighting against ISIS and these guys aren't doing it legally. They're hackers. One of them I've been talking to for months. He goes by the name Wachula Ghost (ph). That's his alias. His latest move has been taking down hundreds of ISIS members' Twitter accounts and replacing the account with pornography and Gay Pride memorabilia. So I'm going to call him up and ask him why he's doing this, and also how easy is it to hack into the Twitter account of an ISIS member. Hello?</s>UNIDENTIFIED HACKER: Hey, Laurie. How you doing?</s>SEGALL: What exactly have you been doing with ISIS accounts?</s>UNIDENTIFIED HACKER: Lately, we started hijacking their accounts, taking over their accounts, basically just to troll them, to annoy them and make fun of them, and take screen shots, phone numbers, I.P. addresses, the whole nine yards. I have all of that information on all the accounts I've ever taken. And we got the idea and there were others that had the idea, also, of spreading porn through the accounts.</s>SEGALL: So why pornography?</s>UNIDENTIFIED HACKER: We thought putting the porn, naked images, would offend them. And I'm sure it's offended other Muslims, but that wasn't our goal.</s>SEGALL: Now that this horrific tragedy has happened in Orlando, you guys have also been putting up Gay Pride messages. Can you talk me through that?</s>UNIDENTIFIED HACKER: I saw the news, and you know, you had all those people, those innocent lives that were lost, and all the people -- everyone was mourning. And I just felt there was something I could do, so I took their images, their flags, and I left a message on a lot of the accounts in support of Gay Pride.</s>SEGALL: You don't believe that the government is doing enough? You don't believe that the social networks are doing enough?</s>UNIDENTIFIED HACKER: If social networks were doing enough, we wouldn't be on there doing what we're doing. I get beheading images, I get threats, we're going to kill you, we're going to do that. And that's great, because they're focusing on me right now, so that means they're not able to do something else.</s>SEGALL: Why is it so personal to you?</s>UNIDENTIFIED HACKER: Sometimes, you just have to stand up for what you believe in. If you want change, you have to make that change.</s>SEGALL: Even if it means doing something illegal?</s>UNIDENTIFIED HACKER: Even if it means doing something illegal. If the change is for the good, it's got to be done.</s>CHURCH: That was "CNN Money's" senior technology correspondent, Laurie Segall, reporting there. A new concern ahead of the Rio Olympics involving street crimes. Tourists being warned to be on the look-out. What the pickpockets are especially looking for. That's coming up.