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The hacking tools used by the Central Intelligence Agency may have been involved in at least 40 cyberattacks in 16 countries, according to security firm Symantec.
The company, which issued its report on Monday, based its conclusion on the disclosure of those tools by WikiLeaks last month. The documents showed how the spy agency was able to hack into phones, computers and even televisions to snoop on people. Reuters was the first to write about the report.
Symantec didn't directly blame the CIA for the hacks, which occurred at unspecified dates, according to Reuters. The company also told Reuters that the targets were all government entities or had legitimate national security value, and were based in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
[...] A CIA spokesman declined to comment on the Symantec report. The agency had previously declined to comment on the leaks themselves, only noting that "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. Such disclosures not only jeopardize US personnel and operations, but also equip our adversaries with tools and information to do us harm."
CNET is unable to verify whether the WikiLeaks documents are real or have been altered.
-- submitted from IRC
Also covered at Ars Technica.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday April 11 2017, @03:39PM (1 child)
It's worse than just distrust in the TLA's.
The TLAs (or those 'overseeing' them) have caused the Americans to distrust government in general. More so than the 1960's and 1970's did. I don't trust anyone or any party with such awesome spying powers.
It doesn't help with isolated law enforcement abuses become highly visible, yet nothing is done to punish the guilty. Those isolated instances similarly result in deep distrust of all law enforcement. Something I think some law enforcement agencies are just now figuring out.
One of the arguments against creating state apparatus to spy on the citizens is that, despite that we may trust the person currently in power (not that I ever did), one day this apparatus may fall into the hands of an insane madman.
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 2, Funny) by khallow on Tuesday April 11 2017, @05:14PM
one day this apparatus may fall into the hands of an insane madman
That almost never happens. /s