US cyberbombs Islamic State on the 'virtual battlefield' - CNET

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The US military is cyberbombing the Islamic State.

In an effort to disrupt the terrorist group's ability to operate and communicate, the US military has launched cyberattacks against its networks, Department of Defense officials said during a press briefing on Monday. The attacks are part of operations with Iraqi and Kurd forces to seize control of the Mosul, an Islamic State stronghold in northe Iraq.

The cyberattacks are designed "to cause [Islamic State] to lose confidence in their networks, to overload their network so that they can't function," said Secretary of Defense Ash Carter. "We're also using cybertools to disrupt [Islamic State's] ability to operate and communicate over the virtual battlefield."

The attacks against the Islamic State, which is also known as ISIS, ISIL and Daesh, may mark the first time the govement has said openly it's using cyberattacks as part of an ongoing military operation. While the military has acknowledged it has the ability to launch cyberattacks, it's largely unheard of for it to publicly acknowledge an offensive against a target's networks.

Previous cyberattacks, such as the destructive Stuxnet computer worm that targeted Iran's nuclear facilities, have been attributed to the US, but not confirmed.