Stratfor
HIGH RISKData breach — December 2011
In December 2011, "Anonymous" attacked the global intelligence company known as "Stratfor" and consequently disclosed a veritable treasure trove of data including hundreds of gigabytes of email and tens of thousands of credit card details which were promptly used by the attackers to make charitable donations (among other uses). The breach also included 860,000 user accounts complete with email address, time zone, some internal system data and MD5 hashed passwords with no salt.
search Check if you were affected — freeData exposed in this breach
What happened in the Stratfor data breach?
In December 2011, "Anonymous" attacked the global intelligence company known as "Stratfor" and consequently disclosed a veritable treasure trove of data including hundreds of gigabytes of email and tens of thousands of credit card details which were promptly used by the attackers to make charitable donations (among other uses). The breach also included 860,000 user accounts complete with email address, time zone, some internal system data and MD5 hashed passwords with no salt.
The exposed data included 7 types of personal information. Because passwords were exposed, users who reused their password on other sites are at particular risk. Financial data was included, making this breach especially dangerous for affected users. Learn more about what a data breach means for you.
Quick answer — was Stratfor hacked?
Yes. Stratfor was breached in December 2011. The breach exposed 859,777 records including credit cards, email addresses, names. This breach has been independently verified. If your email was involved, your data may still be at risk today. Check if you were affected.
Why was the Stratfor breach so dangerous?
The Stratfor breach exposed 859,777 records — that is a large number of compromised accounts. The combination of credit cards, email addresses, names makes this a high-risk breach that requires immediate action.
Because passwords were exposed, attackers can use credential stuffing to automatically test your Stratfor password against hundreds of other websites. If you reused your password anywhere, those accounts are now at risk. Read more about what happens to your data after a breach.
Don't wait to find out — check if your email was exposed in this breach now.
What data was stolen in the Stratfor breach?
Credit cards — can be used for direct financial fraud and unauthorised transactions
Email addresses — used for phishing attacks and credential stuffing against your other accounts
Names — used to build profiles and target you with personalised scams
Passwords — can be used to access your accounts directly or cracked to reveal your actual password
Phone numbers — enables SIM swapping attacks and targeted SMS phishing scams
Physical addresses — combined with other data, used for identity theft and physical fraud
Usernames — used to build profiles and target you with personalised scams
Is the Stratfor breach still dangerous in 2026?
Yes. Stolen data from the Stratfor breach remains dangerous years after the incident. Research shows that over 65% of stolen credentials from older breaches have never been changed by the account holders. Attackers routinely compile data from multiple breaches to build complete profiles, and credentials from 2011 are still actively used in credential stuffing attacks today.
Personal information like email addresses, phone numbers, and dates of birth never expire. Even if you changed your Stratfor password, the other exposed data can be combined with information from other breaches to target you. Learn more about how long stolen data stays dangerous.
Frequently asked about the Stratfor breach
Approximately 859,777 user records were exposed in the Stratfor breach in December 2011.
Yes. Leaked credentials are actively used in credential stuffing attacks years after a breach. If you reused your Stratfor password elsewhere and haven't changed it, those accounts remain at risk today.
Enter your email in the free checker on EmailLeaked. We scan 12 billion+ breach records including the full Stratfor dataset and tell you instantly whether your email was exposed and what data was taken.
Change your Stratfor password immediately, change any other account where you used the same password, enable two-factor authentication on all important accounts, and monitor for phishing emails over the next 90 days.
Who was affected by the Stratfor breach?
The Stratfor data breach affected approximately 859,777 users who had accounts with the service. While not the largest breach on record, it still represents a significant number of compromised accounts in our database of 970+ known breaches.
If you ever created an account with Stratfor or used their services, your data may have been included in this breach. Check your email now to find out. You can also read our guide on what to do immediately after a data breach.
If your email was in the Stratfor breach
Change your Stratfor password immediately
Go to Stratfor and change your password right now. Use a strong, unique password that you have never used anywhere else.
Change any account sharing that password
If you used the same password on other sites, change it on every one of them. Attackers test stolen credentials on hundreds of popular sites within hours.
Enable two-factor authentication
Turn on 2FA on Stratfor and every important account. Even if your password is known, attackers cannot get in without the second factor.
Check your other accounts for this breach
Run a full email check to see every breach your email appears in — not just this one.
searchCheck all my breaches — freeOther major breaches
Was my email hacked?
Check if your email is compromised in seconds. Free, private, no signup. Scan 12 billion+ records across 970+ known breaches.
search Check my email now — it's freeNo signup required · Results in under 5 seconds · Your data is never stored