Hacking settlement to cost Stratfor $1.75 million

Stratfor has agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit filed against the global intelligence firm after hackers affiliated with Anonymous stole subscriber data from its computers last year, Reuters reported today.

The settlement -- which calls for Stratfor to offer subscribers one month of free access to its service, a digital version of a book, and credit-monitoring service, in addition to paying attorney fees -- is expected to cost the company about $1.75 million, according to the settlement given preliminary approval by Judge Denis Hurley in U.S. federal court in New York.

Stratfor does not admit any "wrongdoing, fault, violation of law, or liability of any kind," the court documents show. The company did not respond to an e-mail today seeking comment.

Last Christmas hackers calling themselves AntiSec launched a full-on attack on Austin, Texas-based Stratfor, shutting down its Web site and hijacking a Twitter account to tweet a list of clients that included officials in the U.S. Army, Air Force, police officers, and other government types, such as Henry Kissinger. The hackers then released hundreds of thousands of customer addresses, credit card numbers, and other data stolen in the breach and allegedly racked up at least $700,000 in fraudulent charges. Later, WikiLeaks released e-mails that appeared related to undercover social-media infiltration and influencing plans.