If the latest documents released by WikiLeaks named Vault 7 are to
be believed, the CIA can turn your TV into a mic, bypass the encryption
in chat apps by accessing your OS directly, and do a whole lot more. The CIA can turn your TV into a listening device, bypass popular
encryption apps, and possibly control your car, according to a trove of
alleged documents from the US spy agency released recently by WikiLeaks.
WikiLeaks posted nearly 9,000 files which were leaked from the Central Intelligence Agency, in what it described as the largest-ever publication of secret intelligence materials. WikiLeaks claims that a vast trove of CIA files, hacking tools and code representing the majority of its hacking arsenal were leaked within the cyber security community and that it had received, and released, a part of them.
This extraordinary collection, which amounts to more than several hundred million lines of code, gives its possessor the entire hacking capacity of the CIA warning of a risk of cyber weapons proliferation. Neither the CIA nor the White House would confirm if the documents were genuine.
Looks can be deceptive
The archive also shows the CIA exploiting weaknesses it discovers in hardware and software systems, including those made by US companies - without letting anyone know about the flaws in question. Documents leaks reveal that CIA has produced more than 1,000 malware systems viruses, trojans and other software that can infiltrate and take control of personal electronics, WikiLeaks noted.
These hacking tools have targeted iPhones, Android systems such as the personal phone reportedly still used by President Donald Trump, popular Microsoft software, and Samsung smart TVs, which can be transformed into covert microphones, according to WikiLeaks. The agency has also examined hacking into the electronic control systems on cars and trucks, potentially enabling it to control them remotely.
By infecting and effectively taking over the software of smartphones, WikiLeaks said, the CIA can get around the encryption technologies of popular apps like WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram, Weibo, and Confide by collecting communications before they are encrypted.
"The archive appears to have been circulated among former US government hackers and contractors in an unauthorized manner, one of whom has provided WikiLeaks with portions of the archive," the group said. Snowden, who was a contract employee for the NSA before had stole and leaked secret materials, said via Twitter that the document trove looked much authentic.
More on the Darker side of the Story
WikiLeaks said the documents' leak suggests that the CIA has not sufficiently controlled its own cyber weapons, potentially permitting them to fall into the hands of other hackers. Cindy Cohn, executive director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, blasted the CIA for not helping companies plug the security gaps in their devices.
The dark side of this story is that the documents confirm that the CIA holds on to security vulnerabilities in software and devices including Android phones, iPhones, and Samsung televisions that millions of people around the world rely on. As these leaks show, we're all made less safe by the CIA's decision to keep rather than ensure the patching of vulnerabilities.
Here are some interesting findings from the WikiLeaks Documents:
If you're using an encrypted chat app like Signal, there's good news, and bad news. The good news is that the actual encryption for Signal has not been breached. The bad news is that the CIA apparently has a workaround to that. By gaining access to the phone OS, hackers can bypass the protection those apps offer too. This isn't a mass-surveillance tool, and your personal device will have to be hacked for this to work. That's why using encrypted apps like Signal is still a useful precaution for people to take.
CIA allegedly targeted vulnerabilities in both Google's Android and Apple's iOS to gain access to people's data. While Apple has said that "many of the issues leaked today were already patched in the latest iOS, Google has so far remained silent on the subject of WikiLeaks CIA files.
Documents show the CIA has produced more than 1,000 malware systems - viruses, trojans and other software that can infiltrate and take control of personal electronics, WikiLeaks noted. The hacking tools have targeted Android phones, iPhones, Smart TVs, and Microsoft devices, according to WikiLeaks.
WikiLeaks also claims that the CIA was targeting control systems used by cars, though it didn't have details on how that might be used. Though the revelations have not been confirmed, cyber security experts say they are legitimate. On Twitter, NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden added that the leak looks authentic, and added that this is the first public evidence that the US Government is secretly paying to keep US software unsafe.
Most of the documents allegedly come from the CIA's Center for Cyber Intelligence, which operates both from its Langley, Virginia, headquarters near Washington, and from an office in the US consulate in Frankfurt, Germany, according to WikiLeaks.
The recent release showed WikiLeaks's readiness to continue publishing secret material on the United States despite having been severely criticized in Washington for last year's leaks of materials that damaged Democrat Hillary Clinton's presidential bid. US intelligence officials said in January that WikiLeaks had knowingly or unknowingly become a tool of a high-level Russian operation to interfere in the US election with those disclosures. If corroborated, the recent leak could represent a huge new embarrassment to US government.
WikiLeaks posted nearly 9,000 files which were leaked from the Central Intelligence Agency, in what it described as the largest-ever publication of secret intelligence materials. WikiLeaks claims that a vast trove of CIA files, hacking tools and code representing the majority of its hacking arsenal were leaked within the cyber security community and that it had received, and released, a part of them.
This extraordinary collection, which amounts to more than several hundred million lines of code, gives its possessor the entire hacking capacity of the CIA warning of a risk of cyber weapons proliferation. Neither the CIA nor the White House would confirm if the documents were genuine.
Looks can be deceptive
The archive also shows the CIA exploiting weaknesses it discovers in hardware and software systems, including those made by US companies - without letting anyone know about the flaws in question. Documents leaks reveal that CIA has produced more than 1,000 malware systems viruses, trojans and other software that can infiltrate and take control of personal electronics, WikiLeaks noted.
These hacking tools have targeted iPhones, Android systems such as the personal phone reportedly still used by President Donald Trump, popular Microsoft software, and Samsung smart TVs, which can be transformed into covert microphones, according to WikiLeaks. The agency has also examined hacking into the electronic control systems on cars and trucks, potentially enabling it to control them remotely.
By infecting and effectively taking over the software of smartphones, WikiLeaks said, the CIA can get around the encryption technologies of popular apps like WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram, Weibo, and Confide by collecting communications before they are encrypted.
"The archive appears to have been circulated among former US government hackers and contractors in an unauthorized manner, one of whom has provided WikiLeaks with portions of the archive," the group said. Snowden, who was a contract employee for the NSA before had stole and leaked secret materials, said via Twitter that the document trove looked much authentic.
More on the Darker side of the Story
WikiLeaks said the documents' leak suggests that the CIA has not sufficiently controlled its own cyber weapons, potentially permitting them to fall into the hands of other hackers. Cindy Cohn, executive director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, blasted the CIA for not helping companies plug the security gaps in their devices.
The dark side of this story is that the documents confirm that the CIA holds on to security vulnerabilities in software and devices including Android phones, iPhones, and Samsung televisions that millions of people around the world rely on. As these leaks show, we're all made less safe by the CIA's decision to keep rather than ensure the patching of vulnerabilities.
Here are some interesting findings from the WikiLeaks Documents:
WikiLeaks revealed that the CIA has developed a tool to turn your Samsung Smart TV into a spying device. We already know that Samsung Smart TVs record your living room chatter,
but the company had clarified this was only when the TV is on and said
the feature can be disabled via the settings. However, WikiLeaks
released documents showing that US and British personnel developed a way
to take over Samsung Smart TVs, making them appear switched off even
when recording conversations in the room, using a program called Weeping
Angel.
If you're using an encrypted chat app like Signal, there's good news, and bad news. The good news is that the actual encryption for Signal has not been breached. The bad news is that the CIA apparently has a workaround to that. By gaining access to the phone OS, hackers can bypass the protection those apps offer too. This isn't a mass-surveillance tool, and your personal device will have to be hacked for this to work. That's why using encrypted apps like Signal is still a useful precaution for people to take.
CIA allegedly targeted vulnerabilities in both Google's Android and Apple's iOS to gain access to people's data. While Apple has said that "many of the issues leaked today were already patched in the latest iOS, Google has so far remained silent on the subject of WikiLeaks CIA files.
Documents show the CIA has produced more than 1,000 malware systems - viruses, trojans and other software that can infiltrate and take control of personal electronics, WikiLeaks noted. The hacking tools have targeted Android phones, iPhones, Smart TVs, and Microsoft devices, according to WikiLeaks.
WikiLeaks also claims that the CIA was targeting control systems used by cars, though it didn't have details on how that might be used. Though the revelations have not been confirmed, cyber security experts say they are legitimate. On Twitter, NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden added that the leak looks authentic, and added that this is the first public evidence that the US Government is secretly paying to keep US software unsafe.
Most of the documents allegedly come from the CIA's Center for Cyber Intelligence, which operates both from its Langley, Virginia, headquarters near Washington, and from an office in the US consulate in Frankfurt, Germany, according to WikiLeaks.
The recent release showed WikiLeaks's readiness to continue publishing secret material on the United States despite having been severely criticized in Washington for last year's leaks of materials that damaged Democrat Hillary Clinton's presidential bid. US intelligence officials said in January that WikiLeaks had knowingly or unknowingly become a tool of a high-level Russian operation to interfere in the US election with those disclosures. If corroborated, the recent leak could represent a huge new embarrassment to US government.
