WikiLeaks’ CIA document dump shows agency can compromise Android, TVs

Wikileaks said the CIA Center for Cyber Intelligence in Langley, Va., “lost control of the majority of its hacking arsenal”. While everyone is still going through the process of reading and trying to understand these files, here is a look at some of the most significant allegations made by WikiLeaks.

“The attack against Samsung smart TVs was developed in cooperation with the United Kingdom’s MI5/BTSS.”, it said and added that the malware attacks the television and “places the target TV in a “Fake-Off” mode, so that the owner falsely believes the TV is off when it is on”.

One cyber security consultant who had done work for the US government, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the news, said the leak appeared to be legitimate.

The CIA has neither confirmed nor denied the authenticity of the documents. They include Apple products like the iPhone and iPad, smartphones and tablets that use Google’s Android operating system, Microsoft Windows phones and tabs and devices like Samsung’s line of smart TVs.

Similar to the disclosures from Edward Snowden on the National Security Agency’s global cyberspying in 2013, this new document dump is loaded with freakish, classified code names purportedly used by the CIA that sound like they were borrowed straight the pages of a pulpy spy thriller. The trove of documents, titled “Vault 7”, was allegedly provided by a former USA government hacker and contractor.

If the documents are authentic they could undermine confidence that consumers have in the security of their computers, mobile devices and smart TVs.

It also redacted names and other identifying information from release.

WikiLeaks is questioning the reason for the extent of the CIA’s ability to develop such hacking tools and whether its capabilities go beyond its mandate.

However, Apple says that numerous iOS exploits in the Wikileaks dump have already been patched and it is working to address any new vulnerabilities.

A screenshot of purported exploits the Central Intelligence Agency was aware of and documented.WikiLeaksWill Strafach, a security professional with extensive experience with iOS exploits and CEO of Sudo Security Group, cast doubt about the “leaked iOS stuff from CIA” on Twitter, saying that there appeared to be “nothing interesting or new”.

While most people associate malware with criminal attempts to steal identities or scam people out of their money, WikiLeaks claims the CIA has developed malicious software to gather intelligence.

WikiLeaks, which was founded by Julian Assange in 2006, is an worldwide organization that publishes secret information, news leaks, and classified media from anonymous sources.