Confidential Client List Safe from Anonymous, Says Hacker Target - weissfroned

The damage from a weekend data breach at a think out tank happening global security measur issues appears to make been high-flown away the assault's perpetrators, the hacker collective known as Anon..

After Anon. ransacked think tank Stratfor's computers and stole away thousands of credit card Book of Numbers and other private information, it claimed to have besides clipped the company's confidential client list. That lean contains sensitive information about Stratfor's sopranino profile clients, such as Apple, the U.S. US Air Force, and the Miami Police Department.

However, Stratfor denies that Anonymous got the think factory's family jewels. "Contrary to this assertion the disclosure was merely a list of both of the members that have purchased our publications and does non represent a list of individuals Beaver State entities that have a relationship with Stratfor on the far side their purchase of our subscription-based publications," the firm says in an e-mail to its members dated December 25.

Stratfor adds that IT had hired an identity theft and monitoring service to assist its members strained by the information breach. Further details on those services will follow discharged to affected members afterwards this week, IT says.

On Mon morning, Stratfor's website was offline. Visitors to the location are being greeted to an "undergoing maintenance" screen.

So far, two lists of credit card inside information have been publicized to the Internet by Unknown members, one and only containing 3956 items, the separate with 13,191 items. Some of those numbers have ostensibly been used to donate large sums of money to charitable organizations so much Eastern Samoa the American Red Cross and Handle.

While to some it may appear that Anonymous is acting atomic number 3 an Entropy Age Robin Hood, information technology may not be doing anyone any favors by brilliant up unauthorized charges on other the great unwashe's credit cards. "These donations will ne'er reach the ones in take," writes security guru Mikko Hypponen at F-Secure. "In fact, these actions will just end upbound hurting the charities, not serving them."

"When credit visiting card owners see unaccredited charges on their cards, they bequeath report them to their banking concern or credit card accompany," atomic number 2 explains. "Charge plate companies will do a chargeback to the charities, which will have to return the money. In some cases, charities could be hit with penalties. At the precise least, they will lose prison term and money in treatment chargebacks."

The Faceless attack on Stratfor was made murkier by a disclaimer posted on the Internet saying the grouping isn't responsible for the action. In an "Emergency Christmas Anonymous Press Release" the Stratfor foray was rapped away parties claiming to represent the collective. They assert that Stratfor is being falsely characterized every bit another HBGary Federal, a contractor accused of nonindustrial dirty tricks schemes for the military. A cyber assault on HBGary Federal earlier this year resulted in its Chief executive officer, Aaron Barr, resigning.

"Sabu and his crew are nothing more than opportunist attention whores who are possibly agent provocateurs," they adjudge, referring to a familiar Anonymous member.

"As a media seed, Stratfor's work is protected by the exemption of constrict, a principle which Anonymous values greatly," they hyperkinetic syndrome.

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