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Sunday, Dec 25, 2011 12:45 PM UTC

Hackers Target US Security Think Tank

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Topics: From the Wires,

LONDON (AP) — Hackers on Sunday claimed to have stolen 200 GB of e-mails and credit card data from United States security think tank Stratfor, promising a weeklong Christmas-inspired assault on a long list of targets.

Members of the loose hacking movement known as “Anonymous” posted a link on Twitter to what it said was Stratfor’s secret client list — including the U.S. Army, the U.S. Air Force, Goldman Sachs and MF Global.

“Not so private and secret anymore?,” the group taunted in a message on the microblogging site.

Anonymous said it was able to get credit details, in part, because Stratfor didn’t bother encrypting them — an easy-to-avoid blunder which — if true — would be a major embarrassment for any security company.

The group’s claims could not immediately be verified, although Stratfor’s website was down. A banner read “site is currently undergoing maintenance please come back soon.”

Wishing everyone a “Merry LulzXMas” — a reference to Anonymous spinoff and fellow troublemakers Lulz Security — it also posted a link to a site containing the email, phone number and credit number of a U.S. Homeland Security employee.

The employee, Cody Sultenfuss, said he had no warning before his details were posted.

“They took money I did not have,” he told The Associated Press in an email. “I think why me? I am not rich.”

Anonymous warned it has “enough targets lined up to extend the fun fun fun of LulzXmas through the entire next week.”

The group has previously claimed responsibility for attacks on companies such as Visa, MasterCard and PayPal, as well as others in the music industry and the Church of Scientology.

More By Cassandra Vinograd.

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