Hackers target US security think tank

Hackers on Sunday claimed to have stolen a raft of e-mails and credit card data from US-based security think tank Stratfor, promising it was just the start of a weeklong Christmas-inspired assault on a long list of targets.One alleged hacker said the goal was to use the credit data to steal a million dollars and give it away as Christmas donations, and images posted online claimed to show the receipts.Members of the loose-knit hacking movement known as Anonymous posted a link on Twitter to what they said was Stratfors tightly-guarded, confidential client list. Among those on the list: The US Army, the US Air Force and the Miami Police Department.The rest of the list, which Anonymous said was a small slice of its 200 gigabytes worth of plunder, included banks, law enforcement agencies, defense contractors and technology firms such as Apple and Microsoft.Not so private and secret anymore? the group taunted in a message on the microblogging site.Lt. Col. John Dorrian, public affairs officer for the Air Force, said that for obvious reasons the Air Force doesnt discuss specific vulnerabilities, threats or responses to them.The Air Force will continue to monitor the situation and, as always, take apporpriate action as necessary to protect Air Force networks and information, he said in an email.Miami Police Department spokesman Sgt. Freddie Cruz Jr. said that he could not confirm that the agency was a client of Stratfor, and he said he had not received any information about any security breach involving the police department.Anonymous said it was able to get the credit details in part because Stratfor didnt bother encrypting them an easy-to-avoid blunder which, if true, would be a major embarrassment for any security-related company.Hours after publishing what it claimed was Stratfors client list, Anonymous posted images online that it suggested were receipts for charitable donations made by the group manipulating the credit card data it stole.Thank you Defense Intelligence Agency, read the text above one image that appeared to show a transaction summary indicating that an agency employees information was used to donate $250 to a non-profit.Stratfor said in an email to members that it had suspended its servers and email after learning that its website had been hacked.