CIA Documents Released on WikiLeaks Will Expose Cyberweapons

Tuesday, March 7, 2017, WikiLeaks released Year Zero, the first in a series of CIA documents, called Vault 7. These records include detailed information about active cyberweapons.

A statement from WikiLeaks, published with the documents, accused the intelligence agency of losing control of its team of hackers and archiving “several hundred million lines of code.” This act allows former hackers for the government continued access to the system. WikiLeaks claims one of these previous government contractors gave them part of the code as evidence.

Year Zero CIA Documents

Year Zero includes 7,818 pages from the web and 943 attachments. These files include support documents, instruction manuals, malware names, and communications about exploiting the vulnerabilities of everyday electronic instruments. These devices will be for specific targets to gather information in foreign intelligence.

Documented discussions, included in the release, focused on retrieving computer data, communication monitoring, and the use of certain electronics to carry out these goals. The entire batch acquired, totals 9,000 files.

More to Come

WikiLeaks said they redacted CIA surveillance target lists, however, they will release the recorded marks for the U.S., Latin America, and Europe. A former hacker for the NSA stated, “It looks like really the backbone of their network exploitation kit.” The leak could prevent the intelligence agency from targeting terrorist groups and cyber-attacks from China, Russia, and Iran.

The claim is that the files came from a team inside the CIA. A computer scientist with the University of California at Berkeley, Nicholas Weaver, stated that the documents are “describing a hacking organization that’s doing a reasonably good job.” He also believes that it is more plausible the files and sample of code came from an outside entity.

Included are methods for turning a Samsung television into a listening device, even if it is off. There is similar documentation is provided for encrypted smartphones. However, it is important to note that the vulnerabilities found by the CIA were not reported to Samsung or iPhone. Therefore, the companies were not aware and not allotted the opportunity to protect their consumers from being exploited by hackers and government agencies around the world.

Nevertheless, it is worth noting that Weaver said, to gain access to a person’s iPhone, the CIA risks “$1.5 million assets.” A high price to pay to read text messages.

WikiLeaks and the CIA Response

In 2016, John Brennan, former director of the CIA, told NPR cyber capabilities were being expanded by the intelligence agency. They put a new directive in place to focus on the realm of electronics. This was due to the growing amount of business and conversations taking place on the internet. Current CIA Director Mike Pompeo confirmed that the agency has the knowledge necessary to conduct actions concerning any form of cybersecurity.

The anti-secrecy organization believes the information they obtained is more significant than the NSA leak by Edward Snowden. It could also prove more harmful to the security of the United States.

WikiLeaks has information on armed cyberweapons, however, they will not release that information until they learn more, including how to disarm them. When this information is released, it will create an issue for the CIA and debunk efforts to collect the necessary intelligence to protect the nation. The leaked files will also have a negative impact on the relationship between the intelligence and technology communities.

More Trouble for President Donald Trump

The documents seem legitimate, although that has not been verified, according to the Washington Post. This is calling into question the true security of government secrets. This will create another awkward issue for President Trump, who has praised the anti-secrecy organization for releasing Hillary Clinton’s emails. He stated that he loves WikiLeaks.

U.S. intelligence officials are accusing the anti-secrecy organization of using Russian contacts. Therefore, the investigation will not only seek to verify the files, learn where they came from, and, if the CIA was hacked, who did it. The WikiLeaks release of emails stolen from the Democrats during the 2016 presidential election was a confirmed result of Russian hackers.

Weaver stated that WikiLeaks has purposely left out documents and mislabeled stolen information but has not deliberately released fraudulent data.

By Jeanette Smith

Sources:

NPR: WikiLeaks Releases What It Calls CIA Trove Of Cyber-Espionage Documents
The Washington Post: WikiLeaks says it has obtained trove of CIA hacking tools
The New York Times: WikiLeaks Releases Trove of Alleged CIA Hacking Documents

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