264 in Massachusetts on ISIS Affiliate Hit List: Report

An online ISIS affiliate has posted what appeared to be a hit list containing the names of 264 Massachusetts government employees, according to a report from The Boston Globe.

Experts told the Globe the release of the list is likely just a scare tactic and that it is possible the list was compiled at random, as other similar ones have been in the past couple of years.

The list is not thought to represent any specific threat, State Police told the Globe, although officials may work with the FBI to notify those named. It lists "mostly rank-and-file employees from across the state," according to the paper.

The Islamic State-linked hacking group has posted many such "kill lists," naming thousands of people across the country and worldwide — apparently at random, according to similar reporting in The Tennessean. Although the United Cyber Caliphate and another online groups claim they "hacked" the personal information of those named, the paper reports much of the information obtained is publicly available online.

The list was one of three posted Saturday by the UCC, State Police told the Globe.

<<<For the complete Boston Globe report, click here>>>