The hacker group “Anonymous” exposes thousands of email addresses and passwords belonging to US and NATO officials that it obtained due to a security breach.

The hacker group “Anonymous” exposes thousands of email addresses and passwords belonging to US and NATO officials that it obtained due to a security breach.

The online hacktivist group claimed it had stolen intelligence analysis firm Stratfor's confidential client list, which included the US Defense Department, Army, Air Force, law enforcement agencies, top security contractors and technology firms like Apple and Microsoft, over Christmas.

Among the huge trove of private information exposed by the group are email addresses/personal information belonging to 221 British military officials, 242 NATO staff and 19-thousand US military personnel.

The personal data belonging to former US vice-president Dan Quayle and former secretary of state Henry Kissinger were also released.

Some 75,000 paying Stratfor subscribers, including 462 UK accounts, also had their credit card numbers and addresses exposed.

Stratfor offers expert analysis of international affairs, including security issues, and attracts subscribers from sensitive government departments.

The hackers said they managed to obtain the information easily because the security firm did not protect the data, which could prove a major source of embarrassment to the global intelligence firm.

Anonymous has thrown its weight behind whistleblower website WikiLeaks and has launched retaliatory attacks on companies, who refused to accept donations for the website, including Visa, MasterCard and PayPal.