U.S. Army Scrambles to Fix Hack Attack on Military Websites

WHO:

Alternet - U.S. President Donald Trump was insulted in the hacked messages.

Alternet - Ronald Lovelace, a cybersecurity researcher, uncovered the hacks.

Alternet - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was involved in a previous security breach incident.

WHAT:

Alternet - The hacking incident included messages stating "the US president is a…. thief. f–– Trump [and] Tom Barrack," referencing the U.S. ambassador to Turkey.

Alternet - The Daily Beast reported that the hacking of the U.S. Army websites is "not the first time a security breach has embarrassed the Pentagon since Trump retook the White House last year."

Alternet - Hegseth has since handed $100 million in contracts to protect IT systems at U.S. facilities worldwide to a tech firm previously hit by a massive breach that saw criminals make off with sensitive personal data from at least 45,000 people.

Alternet - Hackers defaced U.S. Army websites, posting pro-Kurdish slogans and insults directed at Trump.

Alternet - The U.S. Army temporarily took some of its sites offline due to the hacking incident.

Alternet - The hacking incident included messages stating "the US president is a…. thief. f–– Trump [and] Tom Barrack."

Alternet - Hegseth shared sensitive military target details in a group chat, leading to a scandal dubbed "Signalgate."

WHERE:

Alternet - The hacked websites are operated by the U.S. Army.

WHEN:

Alternet - The hacking incident occurred while Trump was attending a NATO summit in Turkey.

Alternet - The "Signalgate" incident was reported on March 24, 2025.

WHY:

Alternet - Cybersecurity experts warn that hacking incidents are expected to grow worse with advancements in artificial intelligence.

HOW:

Alternet - Lovelace stated, "It raises the severity a decent amount because it shows it's a bit deeper than just one single path (that's being corrupted)."

Alternet - The affected Army websites run on WordPress and Microsoft cloud infrastructure.

Alternet - Lovelace notified CyberScoop and the U.S. Army about the hacks.

(UPDATED July 8, 2026 20:26 UTC)

A recent hacking incident targeting U.S. Army websites included messages accusing the president of being a thief, along with a reference to the U.S. ambassador to Turkey. This breach is not the first to embarrass the Pentagon since Trump retook the White House last year, and it has raised concerns about the depth of the security issues, as noted by Lovelace, who emphasized that it indicates a more complex problem. Additionally, Hegseth has awarded $100 million in contracts to a tech firm previously affected by a significant breach that compromised sensitive data from at least 45,000 individuals to enhance IT security at U.S. facilities worldwide.

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(UPDATED July 8, 2026 19:28 UTC)

Hackers recently defaced U.S. Army websites, posting pro-Kurdish slogans and insults directed at Trump, which included derogatory messages about him. Cybersecurity researcher Ronald Lovelace uncovered the hacks and alerted both CyberScoop and the U.S. Army, prompting the military to temporarily take some sites offline. This incident comes on the heels of a previous security breach involving Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who was implicated in a scandal known as "Signalgate" for sharing sensitive military target details in a group chat.