A memo purportedly issued by U.S. Cyber Command warning that multiple popular apps had been “compromised” and could be revealing the locations of American service members is fake, a Department of Defense official confirmed to Defense One.
The fabricated message, which began circulating widely in military chat groups and social media on Sunday evening—one day after the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran—claimed that Uber, Snapchat, and Talabat (a Middle Eastern grocery delivery service) were compromised and could expose servicemembers’ locations. Some versions also alleged that locations of personnel within the continental U.S. were at risk.
The DOD official flatly denied the memo’s authenticity. “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,” the official stated. “Due to operational security concerns, U.S. Cyber Command does not comment nor discuss cyber intelligence, plans, operations, capabilities or effects.”
Both Uber and Snapchat pushed back against the claims. Uber said late Sunday there were no indications of compromise. A Snapchat spokesperson echoed that sentiment. Talabat did not respond to requests for comment.
The hoax spread through both public social media and non-public DOD channels, prompting skepticism among some service members familiar with official communication protocols. But its rapid and wide dissemination made it difficult to immediately verify.
The fake memo is part of a broader wave of misinformation and disinformation flooding platforms following the escalation of U.S.-Iran hostilities. Iran has a documented history of generating and amplifying such content to sow confusion and chaos. It remains unclear whether this specific fabrication originated from Iranian actors.
The episode underscores how quickly inauthentic information can gain traction during active conflict—particularly when it targets those serving in the military.
