Military Officials Clarify: Cybercom Did Not Order Troops to Disable Location Services Amid Iran Operation

U.S. Cyber Command Denies Issuing Security Warning to Military Personnel

Defense officials have emphatically denied the authenticity of a viral message claiming to be from U.S. Cyber Command that circulated through military circles on Sunday. The message, which urged service members to disable location services on their electronic devices and warned of compromised commercial applications amid ongoing operations against Iran, was declared false by multiple authorities.

The fabricated alert specifically named several popular applications—Uber, Snapchat, and Middle Eastern food delivery service Talabat—as being “compromised,” triggering concerns among military personnel.

“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 Department of War official told DefenseScoop. The source requested anonymity while noting the preferred name for the Pentagon under the Trump administration.

Officials declined to provide information about the origin of the false message or explain why it gained traction within military communities. Captain Tim Hawkins, spokesperson for U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, was similarly direct, labeling the message as “false.”

Representatives from the named companies also quickly disputed the claims. An Uber spokesperson stated, “We have no indication that this rumor is true regarding Uber,” while the company publicly responded to social media accounts spreading the message, describing it as an “unsubstantiated rumor.” Similarly, Snapchat informed DefenseScoop that the company did not believe the message to be legitimate.

The false alert emerged during a particularly sensitive period, following the launch of joint U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran that began Saturday. The operation, codenamed Epic Fury, remains ongoing, with U.S. Central Command confirming Sunday that three U.S. service members had been killed during the operation.

The fabricated warning gained significant traction on social media, with one account boasting over 40,000 followers posting the message, generating hundreds of thousands of views. The incident highlights the challenge of combating misinformation during active military operations, with WIRED reporting that false and misleading information about the operation has flooded social media platforms. Central Command has noted that Iran issued “multiple bogus claims” during the first two days of operations.

While this particular warning proved false, security experts have previously expressed legitimate concerns about Iran’s cyber capabilities. Last summer, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) cautioned that Iranian-affiliated cyber actors frequently exploit targets with unpatched or outdated software.

The Middle East Institute has documented how Tehran-linked actors employed “a broad range of operations designed to exert psychological pressure, collect tactical intelligence, enforce deterrence against third countries, and maintain domestic control” during last year’s 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel. The institute further noted that Iran had “intensified its psychological operations through the use of AI to generate and disseminate disinformation.”

When approached for additional comment, U.S. Cyber Command referred inquiries to the Pentagon. Representatives for Talabat did not immediately respond to questions from DefenseScoop.

The incident underscores the complex information environment surrounding military operations, where legitimate security concerns can be difficult to distinguish from misinformation and psychological operations, particularly in regions with heightened cyber threats and ongoing conflicts.