Apple Reassures Users About WikiLeaks CIA Hack

“Furthermore, all of GCHQ’s work is carried out in accordance with a strict legal and policy framework, which ensures that our activities are authorised, necessary and proportionate”. As a general user, there is not much to worry about being targetted.

This was replaced by an updated version of iOS a year ago – the latest release is 10.2 – and “nearly 80 per cent of users run the latest version of [the] operating system”, according to Apple, potentially protecting them from older forms of malware. In December, the CIA said it had concluded that Russian intelligence operatives provided materials to Wikileaks in an effort to help President Donald Trump’s defeat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election.

A huge trove of documents released by WIkileaks claims to throw light on the CIA’s “global hacking force”.

Commenting on the leak, WikiLeaks co-editor Julian Assange said that the cache showed the “extreme proliferation risk in the development of cyber weapons”.

These include widely used Internet routers and smartphones as well as Mac and Windows computers. There are also notes on a joint “workshop” with the UK’s MI5 on a project called “Weeping Angel“-in which the services were able to turn a Samsung smart television into an eavesdropping device”.

Even more frightening, if accurate, the documents show that the Central Intelligence Agency is able to hack into smartphones, smart televisions and other items manufactured by companies like Samsung, Apple, Microsoft Windows and Google.

Samsung made a similar comment, saying it was aware of the report and “urgently looking into the matter”. It says it’s “deeply committed” to keeping its customers’ data private and secure and that “the technology built into today’s iPhone represents the best data security available to consumers”.

It said that similar unit targets Google’s Android mobile operating system, used by smartphone manufacturers including Samsung, Sony and HTC.

Google said it is “actively investigating” the disclosures.

By hacking the phones, the spies can also avoid the encryption in popular messaging apps WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram, Wiebo, Confide and Cloackman, according to WikiLeaks.

The website described one program it says has been tested against Microsoft’s Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 computer operating systems. Last year, a mysterious group known as the Shadow Brokers put a set of NSA hacking tools up for auction on the internet, Vice reported.

With those new revelations, Wikileaks shows that they continue on the news scope and that they will go on with the job of disclosing more sensitive information and classified documents from authorities like the United States CIA. WikiLeaks apparently obtained the documents after they were circulated among former US government hackers and contractors “in an unauthorized manner”.