💻Pentagon Debunks Viral ‘Cybercom’ Alert Ordering Troops to Disable Location Services Amid Iran Operation

Officials say false message spread rapidly across military and social media channels during Operation Epic Fury; CENTCOM confirms no directive was issued to service members.

WASHINGTON | U.S. defense officials moved swiftly to debunk a viral message falsely attributed to U.S. Cyber Command that claimed American service members were ordered to disable location services on their personal devices and uninstall several commercial applications amid ongoing combat operations against Iran.

Multiple officials told DefenseScoop that the message circulating across military networks and social media platforms did not originate from Cyber Command. The fabricated alert alleged that Uber, Snapchat, and Talabat — a food delivery service operating in the Middle East — had been compromised, posing operational security risks.

“Due to operational security concerns, U.S. Cyber Command does not comment nor discuss cyber intelligence, plans, operations, capabilities, or effects,” a Pentagon official said, adding unequivocally that the command “did not issue messages to U.S. service members to turn off location services on their electronic devices and did not issue messages that applications had been compromised.”

A spokesperson for U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which is overseeing the newly launched Iran campaign known as Operation Epic Fury, called the circulating guidance “false.”