. >>> many people turn to stratfor for information about security threats. now, some subscribers are facing a threat thanks to a hacker. kelly has the story. >> reporter: personal information of thousands of credit card users compromised after anonymous struck global security firm, stratfor, last weekend. allen is a stratfor subscriber and retired state employee and lost $700 after hackers stole his banking information and made 4 donations to charities. >> since we picked it up, and i was able to identify within two hours, under two hours, we were able to stem that. had i not, they would have escalated the amounts. >> reporter: according to an on line post, anonymous claimed to obtain information of thousands of the members including government clients like austin energy. on twitter the hackers boasted about swiping 2.7 million stratfor emails and thousands of additional credit card numbers. saying the attack could have been prevented with simple encryption. >> i was fortunate because this could very easily have destroyed the holiday season for us, could des

the company called stratfor. the site is currently undergoing maintenance.r has been digging into the story and joins us from the pentagon with the latest. what exactly is anonymous or the group associated with anonymous claiming responsibility for doing. >> they're a well-known hacker group and they are now saying that they're the ones that hacked stratfor over the weekend. they are saying they released subscriber data and information on some 4,000 credit cards as well as the company's private client list. all of the people that subscribe to stratfor and they're corporate clients to government agencies that look for intelligence information on threats and risks around the world that stratfor publishes. that's all very big business these days. when all of this came to be, one of the things that got everyone's attention. i want you to look at this tweet that appeared from anonymous in the twitter verse, if you will, very much saying they were responsible, criticizing stratfor which is a security company for putting the company's most critical information on t

the company called stratfor. the site is currently undergoing maintenance.arbara starr has been digging into the story and joins us from the pentagon with the latest. what exactly is anonymous or the group associated with anonymous claiming responsibility for doing. >> they're a well-known hacker group and they are now saying that they're the ones that hacked stratfor over the weekend. they are saying they released subscriber data and information on some 4,000 credit cards as well as the company's private client list. all of the people that subscribe to stratfor and they're corporate clients to government agencies that look for intelligence information on threats and risks around the world that stratfor publishes. that's all very big business these days. when all of this came to be, one of the things that got everyone's attention. i want you to look at this tweet that appeared from anonymous in the twitter verse, if you will, very much saying they were responsible, criticizing stratfor which is a security company for putting the company's most critical infor

mcfarland says: "this is a pretty serious invasion if someplace like stratfor which is a super-seriousund the world is getting hacked into, then you kind of have to wonder is anything safe?"(mckellay on cam tag) one hacker says the goal is to steal a million dollars from victims' accounts ...writing person says hackers want to - distribute that cash to organizations like "save the children" and the "american red cross."in washington, doug 33kelway, fox news..- mooe amateur video is emerging of the violence in syria.... . activists say government troops are shelling the area with mortars and spraying heavyymachine gun fire today he area is the center for anti-government repeated crackdowns by the - syrian regime. reports say.. at least twenty-three people were killed in the intense shelling -- which activists say is targeting "anyone who moves" syrian officials are not commenting on the violence in the area... and insist....its the terroriss groups attackiig civilians.. happens to pass a burning home ... and saves two people's live. way home after a christmas s - dinner when he saw smok

this is a private company that deals in global intelligence, stratfor.got hacked over the weekend. it's getting a lot of attention. a hacker said they released subscriber data and information on 4,000 credit cards as well as the company's private client list. they went on and posted on another site called antisec with groups such as anonymous. this well-known hacking group anonymous taking credit for this. stratfor is a company that provides analysis and intelligence information to those government, military and corporate clients who want data on threats and risks around the world. so this is getting a lot of attention and that is the question. what comes next. >> indeed. the army and air force i imagine will be looking very closely at their systems, right? >> they will be. the military is very used to these types of cyber attacks. they get pings hundreds of times a day. when they get attacked in cyberspace, that private contractor, that poses challenges for the military. right now the pentagon says there is no impact on them. but look, this is something

allen barr is a stratfor subscriber and retired state employee.00 dollars after haakers stole his banking information.. and made four donations to charities. since we picked it up and i was able to identify within 2 hours, under 2 hours, then we were able to suspend it. had i not, they would have continued to escalate the amounts and it could have emptied the account. according to an online post, 'anonymous' claimed to obtain the information of thousands of stratfor's members, including government clients, like austin energy. on twitter, the hackers boasted about swiping two-point-seven million stratfor e-maals and thousands of additional credit card numbers... saying 'the attack could have been prevented with simple encryption.' i was quite frankly fortunate, because thhs could have not just destroyed the holiday season for us, but it could destroy our financial lives. barr says the group's attempts to be modern-day robin hood by taking from the rich and giving to the poor has done far more harm than good. strikinn out at big corporations or big

said stratfor is working closely with law enforcement in their investigation. the hackers claim to be part of the group calling itself anonymous which has hacked other web sites. in a message today, it linked this attack to the effort to free bradley manning, the u.s. army private suspected of releasing thousands of classified government documents to wikileaks. in an interview this past summer a member of anonymous described their mission. >> we aren't a group, we're an idea. we're an expression of the anger that every person feels when they see injustice. >> reporter: well, some of the stolen credit card numbers were charged with donations to charities and, geoff, it may sound like a bit of robin hood, but those donations will have to be returned and some of those charities could even face penalties. >> glor: okay, anna, thank you. the holiday season overlaps the campaign season. iowa holds its republican caucuses one week from tomorrow. the latest poll shows a three-way race right now. ron paul favored by 21% of voters, mitt romney 20%, and newt gingrich righ

stratfor says it's putting systems in place to avoid this happening again. the company should have stored the credit card numbers in encrypted files in the first place. >>> one week until the gop caucuses, and gop candidates are back on the campaign trail again this morning. texas governor rick perry is hoping america's self-proclaimed toughest sheriff can help his chances. sheriff joe arpaio is expected to join perry on his bus tour across iowa today. arpaio has been a staunch supporter of arizona's tough immigration policy. meanwhile, romney is trying to drum up last minute support with a new campaign ad. and perry, gingrich, and michele bachmann are starting bus tours in iowa. >>> don't expect to see presidential hopeful newt gingrich as a write-in candidate for virginia's republican primary. the former speaker of the house told news 4 he intended on launching a write-in campaign after failing to get enough signatures to make the ballot. virginia does not allow write-ins during primaries, but gingrich encouraged the state to change the law. virginia's sta

the activists claim to be part of anonymous poke fun at stratfor. they say they saw the credit card details of thousands of the company's clients, using them to make charity donations. >> they can clean out your bank account or use your credit card number and charge a number of items before it's ever figured out. they have in the past hacked into systems taken money, donated it to charitable and non-profits. >> they confirmed the attack on facebook. the publication of its confidential client list will be particularly embarrassing. the hackers say it includes high-profile companies like apple and bank of america, as well as the pentagon and the united nations. cyber crime expert alan bass says $700 was taken from his account. >> actually, just costing us all time and money. holiday, not the christmas spirit, and not my family, but it's costing everybody involved. >> the hackers boast that they've already stolen the unincrypted credit card data of at least 4,000 clients. stratfor says it installed security systems but that it's extremely difficult to

. >> reporter: visitors to the stratfor intelligence website looking for analysis of world affairs found this video calling card posted by the hackers who broke into servers, stole a list of the company's subscribers, then posted their personal information on the internet. >> they released their name, a credit card number, the expiration date. >> reporter: internet security expert alex stavos says the information is a treasure trove for people who want to commit identity theft. >> the list of users is very interesting because it contains people who work for the security teams, large corporations, banks, and even government agencies. >> reporter: stratfor analyzes global intelligence and security for police and the military, among others. the company declined interview requests but in a statement its ceo says stratfor is working closely with law enforcement in their investigation. the hackers claim to be part of the group calling itself anonymous, which has hacked other websites. in a message today, it linked this attack to the effort to free bradley manning, the u.s. army private suspect

some were corporate and government clients but individual subscribers to stratfor were also among the victims including this former employee of the texas department of banking. >> in this instance they are taking from individuals. they could have ruined our christmas. they could have ruined our lives. >> reporter: he said the hackers tried to steal $700 from his account, giving $200 to the red cross. in a widely circulated statement, the group says there is, quote, plenty more havoc in store for the rest of the week and calls for the release of army private bradley manning, accused of passing on thousands of classified government documents to wikileaks which anonymous has sought to aid in the past. >> the lesson is for companies with sensitive information, now is the time to secure it. it's no longer enough to say, well, it might not happen. >> reporter: tonight stratfor said it is putting systems in place to prevent this from happening again. hackers say the company should have stored the credit card numbers in encrypted files in the first place. pete williams, nbc news, washington.

they hacked stratfor.ll have a live report coming up. >>> and a working vacation for the president and first lady. we'll tell you about their christmas day visit with the troops. stay with us. is it because taking a step represents hope? or triumph? at genworth, we believe in taking small steps every day to keep your promises, protect what matters, and prepare for a secure financial future. no matter where you want to go, one step at a time is the only way to get there. go to genworth.com/promises. >>> a look at news from across the country now. police in grapevine, texas, say three men and four women, seven people total shot to death on christmas day. police say they may have been opening gifts when they were killed. it was an apparent murder/suicide. it happened in an apartment outside of dallas. officials believe the victims were all related. >>> in nevada officials expect arson in a blaze that heavily damaged a post office on sunday. about 800 people get their mail there. investigators also found bulle

stratfor admitted. unidentified party disclosed personal information and credit yard information from some of our personal members. we have reason to believe your personal and credit card data could be included in the information illegally be attend and end quote. stratfor's statement statement goes on to say, contrary to anonymous claims, it was a list of members that purchased its publications, not a list of individuals or entities that have a relationship with stratfor beyond the purchase of prescription-based publication. two points of view when comes to the particular matter, heather. heather: doug, can we expect more release of confidential material from anonymous? >> reporter: certainly that appears to be the case. in a message published on blogging website, anonymous, quoting, worry not fellow pirates and robin hoods, these are just the as. that is certainly suggests that there is lot more to come. just hours after anonymous published what it claimed was stratfors list, it tweet ad ling that inc

if that's true it's a major embarrassment for stratfor. fox news national security analyst k.t.cfarland. >> this is a pretty serious invasion. if some place like stratfor which is the super secret community around the world is getting hacked into then you kind of wonder is anything safe? >> run client reports he had $700 missing from his account. money later deposited into the accounts of the red cross, cair, and save the children. >> trace: how is stratfor combating this. >> its web site is shut down. working with authorities breach. a process lot of people say is easier than done. >> very difficult to trace this back because of the way the cyber cat burglars in a certain sort of way are able to cover their tracks through any number of servers around the world. >> stratfor will also be closely monitoring any more releases of confidential data and anonymous promises to release more on a statement published on a blogging web site, somebody claiming to be to be part of a hacking network. not as many as you expected. worry not pirates and robin hoods, these are just the a's. they c

while many of the victims in this latest hacker attack were corporate clients of the company stratfor, individual subscribers discovered that their information was taken too. >> they could have ruined our christmas. >> reporter: the hackers tried to steal $700,000 in all from his account. most of the charitable contributions will be returned because they were stolen to start with. the attack is a major embarrassment for stratfor that shut down its website saying it was undergoing maintenance. the group unanimous was clearly relishing the attention claiming in a statement that there's "plenty more havoc in store for the rest of the week." it called for the release of army private bradley manning who is accused of passing on thousands of classified government documents to wikileaks, the website the hacker group has aided in the past and they have released hundreds of clients and names of individual subscribers along with credit card numbers and other private data. >> it's a serious breach. we're talking about a lot of people's identity including people in very sensitive positions in t

saying it is stratfor's secret high profile client list.e hackers say they plan to take the fund from the account and give them away as christmas donations. >>> acid reflux is a problem worldwide. researchers in norway say the number of people with the disease have gone up almost 50% over the past 10 years. they say that number is mostly due to more cases of obesity and that symptoms of acid reflux could lead to esophogal cancer. >>> now a recall effort is underway. ilene's candies is brought to you by cinnamon products. it seems the products may contain peanuts that are not identified in the ingredient list. the companies are concerned that people with peanut allergies could face serious or life threatening reactions if they consume the products. >>> we'll in many parts of the world santa arrives by sleigh. but in hawaii -- >> santa, santa. >> santa. >> well, take a look. santa arrives by canoe to the delight of young beachgoers. leaving the santa sleigh at home. >>> and a chanukah manora. they needed a new look and they figured why not su

the victim is a security think tank, stratfor. the hackers allegedly stole credit card information in a robin hood-inspired stunt, and they charged these people's credit cards and donated it to charity. the web site is currently displaying this "under maintenance" message. this firm has suspended its server and e-mail in response. we're going to have more on this developing story a little later, we'll be talking to an expert here on the show, so stay tuned to that. rick: all right, looking forward to that. a nuclear saudi arabia, one of its princes hinting that the kingdom may join the nuclear arms race, and body john bolton -- ambassador john bolton will tell us what it means. julie: the tax cut battle on capitol hill only resolved for the next two months, so could we see another groundhog day? we'll debate it. l. rick: plus, a remarkable story of survival. a family trapped in their car for two days under a massive pile of snow. how did they get out of this alive? >> the back end of the car just slid to the right and off the road

thousands of classified documents of wikileaks, and the hackers circulated a list of hundreds of stratfor corporate clients and the names of individual subscribers along with credit card numbers and private data. >> it's a fairly serious breach, a lot of people's identities, including people in sensitive positions in the defense department, intelligence agencies and private companies, even foreign embassies. >> reporter: a twitter feed sometimes connected to the hacker group says celebrities, singers and a reality show star are among its next victims, but because the group is so decentralized, there's no way to verify that claim. the texas company, stratfor, says it's putting systems in place to prevent something like this from happening again. security experts say it's a warning to all big companies to make certain that their sensitive client data is well protected. matt? >> pete williams, thank you very much. >>> mark rash is a security expert. mr. rash, good morning to you. good morning, matt. >> a couple of things sound odd. a lot of major corporations are clients of this money but "t

they hit think tank stratfor. "anonymous" said it stole thousands of credit card numbers from clients. some victims already have seen unauthorized transactions on their account. >>> some people avoid it like the plague but for thousands of others you can't beat the after christmas sales. janine de la vega is live to show us how good the deals actually are. >> reporter: well, frank, as you know, it's after 5:00 and look, the sidewalks are packed and here at west field san francisco there are plenty of people shopping. >> reporter: the pressure to buy gifts is off but the need to spend is on for thousands of people who came shopping today. >> decorations for next year. and then, you know, christmas money you get you are spending on yourself. >> reporter: like christmas again. >> it is. really fun. >> reporter: many prepared for crowds. >> we always come early because we know by noon this time it gets annoying. >> reporter: but it's the bargains that lure people here, mark downs up to 60% off. some gave customer as f

. >>> the global intelligence website stratfor is still down after hackers stole thousands of client names. a group called anonymous says it has no brief with stratfor who it considers an unbiased source for information. >> stratfor is in the business of providing geopolitical information the way the sort of state department does about political climate, on a very granular realtime basis. both to the general public in a more broadway an more specifically in their e-mails that people pay for. so in a sense they are in the security business, so that makes them kind of a ripe target for headline purposes, i guess. >> stratfor says it is diligently investigating the breach. >>> it is boxing day in britain, an annual holiday that's one of the biggest shopping days of the year. but, a strike by london's subway drivers is creating a major headache for millions of shoppers. the drivers walked out over a pay dispute. city officials are warning of severe disruption for those seeking bargains in bond's shopping centers. several subway lines shut down completely while a few are running a limited

. >>> stratfor is going to wait to launch its website.d stratfor private company list. but apparently didn't see this one coming. >>> and according to the "wall street journal" bp could face its first criminal charges stemming from the 2010 gulf oil disaster. the worst oil spill in u.s. history, still is. prosecutors say bp engineers misled regulators about the risk of drilling at that site in the gulf. >>> mitt romney pulling ahead in iowa while newt gingrich takes a nose dive. the big story, though, rick santorum is surging. cnn contributor will cain and cnn.com contributor l.z. granderson joining us live from new york. i'll start with you, l.z., what to you make of these new numbers in the santorum surge? >> it's his turn, basically. sort of like pass the anybody but romney vote and just his turn. i don't think he's done anything. i don't think his organization is any stronger and i just think that it's gone from knlt to candidate and it's just now at him and that's about it. i don't think it says anything about his politics at all. >>

. >> the hacking movement anonymous says it's hacked the web site of stratfor, a texas think-tank, and stole thousands of credit card numbers from its clients. they posted part of the data online and claimed it was using the information to make gifts to charity. their clients include the u.s. air force. the candidates are taking christmas off, but the pollsters are not. whit johnston has details. >> today, mitt romney got a christmas gift from new hampshire. a new poll has him leading by over 32 points. although he trails newt nationally, he has polled better with independents. there are 24 million independents. democrats and republicans have them beat with more than 70 million combined, but their numbers have been slipping. president obama's victory was due to a surge of independents and he knows he has to do more to win back their support. jim kessler is a senior vice president of third way. >> they are very fickle voters. you don't know what they are going to do. >> reporter: as americans grow more disgusted with dysfunction in washington and are turned off by bitter party politics,

stratfor is in the business of providing geo political information. department, the information is given to both the general public in a broadway and very specifically in their e-mails that people pay for. in a sense they are in the security business and so that makes them kind of a ripe target forehead line purposes, i guess. >> when this first happened we all thought that it was the group anonymous that was doing this. now it may be another group. have you learned anything about that? >> no. you know, these are very efemoral. they call themselves all sorts of things. people gravitate. the groups don't really matter. it's just sort of a hard core collection of people that find this sort of thing funny and amusing. whatever they call themselves is almost immaterial. >> john, we did reach out to the company, stratfor. i want to read you this statement. we've learned that stratfor's website was hacked but an unauthorized party as a result of this incident. the operations have been suspended. we have reason to believe that the names of our corporate subs

can hack into your files or computer and figure out your information. >> reporter: in the case of stratfor, the hack eer group was to prove a point. using credit cards to make donations to charities like the red cross. some of the victims caught the illegal charge and got it removed. experts say at the minimum, consumers need to track credit card bills and work with their financial institution. >> they need to work with the bank that's going to expect and provide greater protections for their online transactions. too many banks are depending on user name and password. that's not adequate today. >> reporter: the fbi is investigating the breach. the unanimous group says it won't be their last. >> hackers had previously claimed responsibility for cyberattacks on credit card processors. visa, mastercard and paypal. >>> still to come tonight, how facebook saved a mother and son from certain death. >>> rain is moving away. >>> welcome back to "news4 at 6:00." i'm storm 4 meteorologist chuck bell. an up and down kind of day. down for most of the day. a nice bright finish with a little bit of suns

anonymous claiming they were be a to pull it off because the agency stratfor didn't bother on encryptt. thousands of strat for's subscribers notified of a breach on christmas day. one. subscribers laterred is a fox news national court analyst. >> i got a notice late last night saying theres has been a security breach, check your e- mails. check your credit cards online to see if there are any unauthorized charged on your account. >> reporter: anonymous claims to have 200 gigabytes worth of secret data which it claims will be released through the coming week. frat for's web site is now shut down while they investigate the leak. >> my understanding, it is a very informal loosely formed group and then some people who do this label themselves as anonymous so they may take on the title after nonmuse. so it is not quite cheer exactly who this is. >> reporter: strat for provide mill, military and economic intelligence with top tier clients like lockheed martin and bank of america. some didn't think it would be possible to hack into the high profile think tank. >> this is a pretty serious inv

lives easier with having bank accounts online but puts you at risk. >> reporter: in the case of stratfor, they took credit cards and used them to make contributions to charities. a lesson to all who own credit cards. >> at a minimum consumers have to make sure every month they track their credit card bills and their bank account bills to see whether or not there are any transactions that they didn't authorize. even if it's a charitable contribution. they need to keep track of what's happened. >> the fbi is now investigating the breach. the company's website shows a banner saying the site is "undergoing maintenance." >>> the search continues for a blind man who is missing. his name is mitchell smith. he came to d.c. earlier this month to visit relatives and he was last seen two weeks ago getting on an amtrak train at union station, a train bound for birmingham, alabama. his family says that he got off at an amtrak station in north carolina but they have not heard from him or been able to contact him for ten days now. mr. smith is 33 years old, 5'11", slim build. he carries a red and white

stratfor declined an interview request, but in a statement, they said that they are working with law enforcement in the investigation. the hack group is called anonymous, hacking other websites. in a message they linked this attack to the effort to free bradley manning. the u.s. army private suspected of releasing thousands of classified government documents to wikileaks. in an interview this past summer, a member of anonymous described their mission. >> we are a group, we're an idea. we're an expression. an expression of the anger that every person feels when they see injustice. >> reporter: anna werner, cbs news. >> some of the stolen credit card numbers were used, charged with donations to various charities. now, despite that robin hood gesture, the contributions will have to be returned and the organizations could even face penalties. >>> air travel is in a steady look. one local airport is not only bucking that trend, but it's on pace for a record year. 2 million travelers are expected to pass through san francisco international. and now one airline in particular might be giving

the group that calls itself anonymous claim they stole the personal information from stratfor, a texas-based firm. clients include apple, the miami police department and u.s. air force. the department of defense told cbs news there had been, quote, no impact on pentagon networks. >>> a christmas tragedy in texas. police say it was murder and suicide and happened after they finished opening presents. our station in dallas-ft. reports. >> reporter: the merriment of the holiday was overshadowed by a horrific crime scene. seven people were found shot to death inside this apartment unit. investigators say the victims include four women and three men and range in age from 18 to early 60s. police believe they are related but can't elaborate. investigators say it appeared the family had just celebrated the holiday, unwrapped packages were found. as were two handguns. it's still unclear what led to the deadly shooting but police do believe the gunman is dead. about nine hours later, investigators turned their attention to the vehicles parked outside the crime scene. >> they believe the vehicles are r