Islamic State Hackers Threaten Something 'Surprising' to 'Frighten America' Monday at 2 P.M. ET [UPDATE: Hackers Claim Success]

UPDATE 3:43 p.m. ET:

According to Vocative, the site that originally published the threat, the alleged Islamic State hackers have released a video claiming to have been successful in their attack:

Shortly after the deadline, a video was released claiming the group had been hacked into the websites of Washington leaders, as well as Australian airports, but none were identified.

[...]

The video released after 2pm EST features a man wearing a hoodie and sitting before a laptop, with his face shielded. It was in Arabic with English subtitles and shared on ISIS forums. “We are the hackers of the Islamic State. The electronic war has not yet begun,” the voice said. “We observe all the movements you are making from your devices. Soon you will see how we control your electronic world.”

UPDATE 2:40 p.m. ET:

The 2 p.m. ET time has passed and so far nothing has been reported.

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Islamic State-affiliated hackers have reportedly threatened a cyberattack on U.S. targets scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. ET Monday.

Vocativ reported that the group issued its “Message to America” via Twitter and that hackers on other social media platforms promised something “surprising” that “will frighten America.”

“Soon: Hacker of the supporters association will present: A Message to America, from Planet earth to the digital world,” the group said, according to Vocativ.

#أخبار_الخلافة #رابطة_الأنصار قريبا #هكر_رابطة_الأنصار يقدم لكم: رسالة إلى أمريكا من الأرض إلى العالم الرقمي pic.twitter.com/U9d3CvpAEF

— أستغفر الله #الخلافة (@Is_Caliphate_N)

May 11, 2015

No specific targets were mentioned.

The U.S. Central Command’s Twitter account was hacked in January by Islamic State sympathizers calling themselves “CyberCaliphate.”

An expert on jihadist groups has said hacking is a “low-cost way” for the Islamic State group to harass its foes.

“ISIS has been recruiting hackers for some time now. Some are virtual collaborators from a distance, but others have been recruited to emigrate to Syria,” J.M. Berger, co-author of "ISIS: The State of Terror" told Britain’s Guardian newspaper in April. “Activity targeting the West is just part of their portfolio. They’re also responsible for maintaining Internet access in ISIS territories, for instance, and for instructing members on security.”

“This is a very low-cost way to publicize their cause and harass their enemies,” Berger added.

TheBlaze is unable to verify the authenticity of the latest threat.