WikiLeaks, an international non-profit organisation that publishes secret information, news leaks, and classified media from anonymous sources has just revealed how the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) monitors people from different parts of the world via their gadgets.
According to the leaks tagged Vault 7, the CIA’s Mobile Devices Branch (MDB) has developed multiple tools and systems to hack popular smartphones and gadgets like Apple iPhone’s, Google’s Android, Microsoft’s Windows and even Samsung TVs. Through this action and with the aid of a powerful malware, they can remotely order these gadgets to send both location data as well as audio and text communications. Thus, turning them into covert microphones which they can activate at will. Such tools and techniques allow the CIA to hack social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram,
Such tools and techniques allow the CIA to hack social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram, Wiebo, Confide and Cloackman before encryption can be applied, WikiLeaks claims in the statement on their website.
Commenting on the leak, WikiLeaks co-editor Julian Assange said the cache showed the “extreme proliferation risk in the development of cyber ‘weapons.”
“The significance of ‘Year Zero’ goes well beyond the choice between cyberwar and cyberpeace. The disclosure is also exceptional from a political, legal and forensic perspective,” he said.
The over 8,761 documents published by WikiLeaks focus mainly on techniques for hacking and surveillance.
The CIA has refused to deny or endorse the leaks.
