Hackers Say to Publish Emails Stolen from Stratfor
Hackers have stolen emails from the Strategic Forecasting Inc., a private analysis company serving for clients such as the Wall Street banks, U.S. military, and other big corporations. Hackers are associated with an Anonymous group and have indicated that they are prepared to publicize what they have taken from the firm.
Stratfor or Strategic Forecasting Inc. reported last weekend that its internet site has been hacked. Some of its data have been stolen and published.
Hackers who are responsible for the crime identified themselves as from the group Antisec. They swear to cause chaos by publicizing all the documents that they have taken.
So far, the hacking group has already made public the names of numerous government entities, corporations, and other customers of Stratfor. They have posted email addresses, credit card numbers, passwords, and other details of each subscriber to the firm's services. Listed huge clients of Stratfor published by the group include Exxon Mobil Corp, Thomson Reuters, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs & Co, Interpol, United Nations, and the U.S. military.
Stratfor promised to provide their affected subscribers with identity theft protection as well as monitoring services. The company's website has been turned offline for many days.
George Friedman, Chief Executive of Stratfor posted a message on the firm's FB page stating that the clients exposed by Antisec had only subscribed to Stratfor's publications. There is no deeper relationship involved.
Stratfor officials cannot be contacted on Tuesday to say something about the hacking group's latest menace.
Anonymous claimed that what the group is about to publish is more sensitive than the previous information that they have already disclosed.
"Stratfor is not the 'harmless company' it tries to paint itself as. You'll see in those emails," said Anonymous via Twitter.
Antisec plan to reveal emails once they're done preparing them for distribution. The group has prepared over 9,000 copies. Antisec has produced that amount of mirrored copies so that it wouldn't be easy and quick for authorities to shut down servers that hold the data.
Distributing such a lot of copies makes it easy for the group to scatter the sensitive message enclosed in the email. The FBI spokesperson declined commenting on the issue.