Stolen CIA Cyberspying Tools Released Publicly, Claims WikiLeaks

By MDL on March 13, 2017

WikiLeaks has published what it claims is a vast catalog of cyber espionage and hacking tools used by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to access computers, smartphones, messaging apps, smart TVs, other devices.

What happened?:

On Tuesday March 7th, the controversial anti-privacy group WikiLeaks released a statement that “the largest ever publication” of CIA confidential documents was underway. 8,761 documents and files purportedly from “an isolated, high-security network situated in the CIA’s Center for Cyber Intelligence” were publicly disclosed and code-named “Vault 7.” WikiLeaks describes this disclosure as only the first part in a series it is calling “Year Zero.”

The WikiLeaks press release describes the contents of the file dump as “the majority of [the CIA’s] hacking arsenal including malware, viruses, trojans, weaponized ‘zero-day’ exploits, malware remote control systems and associated documentation.” The documents reportedly describe ways in which common devices like mobile phones, computers, and everyday tools like Skype, wifi, and anti-virus software can be vulnerable to cyber intrusion. The vulnerabilities describe could lead to these devices capturing sounds, images, and the contents of encrypted text messages.

The WikiLeaks statement also contains an “Analysis” section describing notable findings like a program called “Weeping Angel” that attacks Samsung smart TVs, turning them into listening devices. The document makes note of “hoarded” vulnerabilities, zero-days that were discovered but not reported so that they could be exploited at a later date. It outlines various projects and their code names including one project that seems to be an archive of malware and attack techniques used by others organizations.   

According to a Washington Post article, “while many of the attack technologies had been previously discussed at cybersecurity conferences, experts were startled to see evidence that the CIA had turned so many theoretical vulnerabilities into functioning attack tools against staples of modern life. These include widely used Internet routers, smartphones, and Mac and Windows computers.”

CIA Response:

On March 8, a document titled “CIA Statement on Claims by Wikileaks” was published in the News & Information page of the cia.gov website. It begins, “we have no comment on the authenticity of the purported intelligence documents released by Wikileaks or on the status of any investigation into the source of the documents.”

The statement continues by stating the mission of the CIA and the agency’s role in protecting America before noting that “the CIA is legally prohibited from conducting electronic surveillance targeting individuals here at home.” The statement concludes, “The American public should be deeply troubled by any Wikileaks disclosure designed to damage the Intelligence Community’s ability to protect America against terrorists and other adversaries.”

Are the documents genuine?:

Although the CIA has not formally confirmed that the leaked documents are genuine, an official statement reiterating the CIA’s mission of collecting foreign intelligence before condemning WikiLeaks seems to be an acknowledgement that the files and documents released are connected to the CIA and that they are significant.  

Attribution:

The WikiLeaks statement says “the archive appears to have been circulated among former U.S. government hackers and contractors in an unauthorized manner, one of whom has provided WikiLeaks with portions of the archive.” Although no official suspects have been named, several news articles indicate that initial investigations will focus on CIA contractors that had access to the files in question.


Sources: WikiLeaks, Vault 7: CIA Hacking Tools Revealed. CIA, CIA Statement on Claims by Wikileaks. Wall Street Journal, WikiLeaks Dumps Trove of Purported CIA Hacking Tools. Wall Street Journal, FBI Is Probing How WikiLeaks Obtained CIA Spy Tools. New York Times, WikiLeaks Releases Trove of Alleged C.I.A. Hacking Documents. The Guardian, WikiLeaks publishes ‘biggest ever leak of secret CIA documents’. Reuters, CIA contractors likely source of latest WikiLeaks release: U.S. officials