Global Policy Brief > New Zealand Companies at Risk Following Strafor Breach

New Zealand Companies at Risk Following Strafor Breach

January 17, 2012

The data breach at the private American intelligence company Strafor in late 2011 not only put its U.S. subscribers at risk (as reported in the January Washington Policy Brief), it put the credit card information and personal details of several New Zealand companies and government agencies at risk, as well. According to an article in Stuff.Co, Strafor’s New Zealand-based clients include the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Air New Zealand, the New Zealand Police and Fire Service, and ANZ and BNZ banks.

A January 11 Associated Press article in the Washington Post reported that more than 100,000 individuals and companies may have been exposed and that personal information had been posted online and linked to Twitter.

According to the article, the hacking group known as “Anonymous” claimed responsibility for stealing the information from Stratfor, which provides reports and analyses of international affairs and security threats. The Washington Post article reported that hackers said they took money from some people’s accounts to donate as Christmas presents, and some victims confirmed unauthorized activity on their credit cards.

The New Zealand Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet spokesman Maarten Wevers said the department expects Stratfor to improve security and will be keeping an eye on its account.

"I'm sure they are working very hard to make sure security is not breached. I can't imagine we will stop buying them. They are an expert think tank and their views are of interest to a lot of people," Wevers said.

According to the article, an Air New Zealand spokeswoman said the airline had received advice from Stratfor in the past regarding global security issues, but its customer data is not at risk and no unauthorized transactions have occurred.

A spokesperson for ANZ New Zealand also commented, stating, "We are confident that no customer data or credit card information has been compromised as a result of our relationship with Stratfor."

Global Policy Brief

The online Global Policy Brief is intended to help you stay current on international news and events. Further information about the issue is accessed by clicking on the link provided at the end of each summary.

Want to sign up to receive an email version of the Global Policy Brief? It's free! Just tell us a little about yourself and you'll receive a monthly dose of the latest in legislation, regulation, and more.