Wiki Leaks Dumps Docs on CIA’s Hacking Tools
Summary: WikiLeaks published what it called "Vault 7," more than 8,700 files allegedly taken from a high-security network inside the CIA's Center for Cyber Intelligence in Langley, Va., describing methods for hacking iPhones, Android devices, Windows systems, routers from Linksys, Mikrotik and Zyxel, Cisco business devices, and 2013-model Samsung smart TVs. The documents largely lack the exploit code itself, and many describe attack concepts or half-finished exploits limited by requirements such as physical access to the target device, as in the "Weeping Angel" project that turned Samsung TVs into listening posts until a firmware upgrade eliminated its installation method.
Key Takeaway: The CIA's Center for Cyber Intelligence has a staff of hundreds and a budget in the hundreds of millions - the documents indicate the agency requested $685.4 million for computer network operations in 2013 - and WikiLeaks says the archive was circulated among former U.S. government hackers and contractors before reaching it. Bugcrowd's Casey Ellis said the release puts actively exploitable zero-days in the wild and leaves targeted vendors who were unaware of the specific vulnerabilities scrambling to analyze and patch them.
Read the original at Krebs on Security ↗
- Topics
- Zero-Days & Exploits
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