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posted by martyb on Tuesday September 28 2021, @08:47PM   Printer-friendly
from the They-wouldn't-do-THAT...-would-they? dept.

CIA developed plans to kidnap Julian Assange, per report

The Trump administration's CIA actively developed plans to kidnap or assassinate Wikileaks founder Julian Assange during his seclusion in London's Ecuadorian embassy, according to a detailed new report from Yahoo News. Scenarios included abducting Assange from the embassy, intercepting a Russian effort to extract him, or an outright assassination attempt. While none of the operations were ever approved, they paint an alarming portrait of intelligence agencies' ongoing obsession with Wikileaks and its controversial founder.

As sources, Yahoo cites conversations with more than 30 former US officials. Among those, eight provided details on plans to kidnap Assange.

The report mostly details operations developed during the Trump administration, which placed fewer restraints on the CIA and was less troubled by the implications of launching direct operations against a figure many saw as a journalist. The issue became particularly heated in March of 2017, when Wikileaks published a catalog of hacking tools developed by the CIA. After that, "WikiLeaks was a complete obsession of Pompeo's," a source told Yahoo.

Also at The Guardian and The Hill.

Previously: Wikileaks and CIA Hacking Tools -- Security Firms Assess Impact as Tech Companies Offered Access


Original Submission

Related Stories

Wikileaks and CIA Hacking Tools -- Security Firms Assess Impact as Tech Companies Offered Access 16 comments

We had two stories submitted pertaining the recent announcement that Wikileaks claimed it had received a cache of CIA hacking tools.

Security Firms Assess Impact of CIA Leak

Security firms have started assessing the impact of the CIA hacking tools exposed on Tuesday by WikiLeaks as part of the leak dubbed "Vault 7."

Files allegedly obtained from a high-security CIA network appear to show that the intelligence agency has tools for hacking everything, including mobile devices, desktop computers, routers, smart TVs and cars.

The published files also appear to show that the CIA has targeted the products of many security solutions providers, including anti-malware and secure messaging applications. The list of affected vendors includes Symantec, Kaspersky, Avira, F-Secure, Microsoft, Bitdefender, Panda Security, Trend Micro, ESET, Avast, AVG, McAfee, Comodo and G Data.

While WikiLeaks has not released any of the exploits it has obtained, an initial investigation conducted by security firms indicates that the CIA's capabilities may not be as advanced as some have suggested.

[...] WikiLeaks reported that the CIA had found a way to bypass the encryption of Signal, Telegram, WhatsApp and other secure messaging applications.

While many jumped to conclude that the agency had actually broken the encryption of these apps, WikiLeaks actually meant that gaining access to a mobile device using iOS and Android exploits could have given the CIA access to conversations, without having to break their encryption.

Source: http://www.securityweek.com/security-firms-assess-impact-cia-leak

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  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by Freeman on Tuesday September 28 2021, @09:08PM

    by Freeman (732) on Tuesday September 28 2021, @09:08PM (#1182437) Journal

    Considering all of the action / inaction with regards to Julian Assange. His running for cover in the Ecuadorian embassy, just looks more and more like self-preservation. Who would have really looked too much into his death, if he died from a heart attack or whatever during that time?

    --
    Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by DeathMonkey on Tuesday September 28 2021, @09:24PM (18 children)

    by DeathMonkey (1380) on Tuesday September 28 2021, @09:24PM (#1182444) Journal

    Big shocker, all the Assange stuff turns out to be projection...

    Remember when the DOJ under Obama concluded that he was protected by the First Amendment?

    Pepperidge Farm remembers. [theintercept.com]

    • (Score: -1, Troll) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday September 28 2021, @09:37PM (6 children)

      by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday September 28 2021, @09:37PM (#1182451) Journal

      I remember "Can't we just drone him?"

      Of course, Snopes and all the rest of the Dem-aligned "fact checkers" deny it ever happened.

      • (Score: 4, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 28 2021, @10:20PM (4 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 28 2021, @10:20PM (#1182466)

        Nice whataboutism, one administration stays in the law while the other attempts to go all fascist, and your first inclination is to circle the wagons and protect Derr Trumpfler.

        You are a sad sad sad sad sad traitorous US citizen.

        • (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 28 2021, @10:56PM (1 child)

          by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 28 2021, @10:56PM (#1182471)

          one administration stays in the law

          You ain't especially bright, are you Boyo? There was no Hillary administration. People smarter than you voted Trump in to keep her out.

          • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 28 2021, @11:24PM

            by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 28 2021, @11:24PM (#1182479)

            And still smarter people refused to vote for either turd.

        • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Mykl on Tuesday September 28 2021, @11:18PM

          by Mykl (1112) on Tuesday September 28 2021, @11:18PM (#1182476)

          I don't think it's whataboutism in this case. We had a Secretary of State who was actively exploring options to drone him, then the next administration giving the CIA the latitude to come up with kill plans. It's significant that these two events covered the two major parties (well, sort of - I think Trump is really his own party).

          Senior representatives from "both sides" wanted to kill him. Fortunately, cooler heads were able to prevail in both cases and Assange is still alive.

        • (Score: -1, Spam) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 29 2021, @05:31PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 29 2021, @05:31PM (#1182838)

          If you think the presidents control the intelligence apparatus you are living in a dream world. The intel and military are controlled by The International Jew (and their shabbos goy pals).

      • (Score: 5, Interesting) by Tork on Tuesday September 28 2021, @10:21PM

        by Tork (3914) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday September 28 2021, @10:21PM (#1182467)

        Of course, Snopes and all the rest of the Dem-aligned "fact checkers" deny it ever happened.

        https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/julian-assange-drone-strike/ [snopes.com].

        Snopes doesn't deny it, just says says "unproven" with some specifics of the context and how they arrived there. In short there is an email exchange that's about the topic at hand but is missing the 'drone' quip. In other words, she didn't say it on the record... which we already knew because there's not a damn thing preventing evidence of that from being posted ANYWHERE on the internet. However...

        On 4 October 2016 Clinton answered a question about whether the rumor was accurate, responding that she didn’t “recall any joke … [reference to targeting Assange with a drone] would have been a joke”

        That's a wimpy ass "denial" on both Snopes' AND Clinton's part if you ask me. Hell I did a better job supporting your point WITH Snopes than you did by automatically ignoring it. Heh.

        --
        🏳️‍🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️‍🌈
    • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Captival on Tuesday September 28 2021, @09:40PM (1 child)

      by Captival (6866) on Tuesday September 28 2021, @09:40PM (#1182452)

      Then surely the Obama Administration 2.0 that's in charge now will rush to release him then, right? Any second now.

      • (Score: 5, Insightful) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday September 28 2021, @09:59PM

        by JoeMerchant (3937) on Tuesday September 28 2021, @09:59PM (#1182463)

        Just as soon as releasing him will get them more political capital than leaving his status at status quo.

        Unfortunately, most people react poorly to change, so a change in status for Assenage will upset more people than it will please - so like most things, the politicians will ignore it.

        As for the CIA making plans to kill him, newsflash: that's their job, to make these kinds of plans, to present possible scenarios, even if the scenarios are unlikely to be executed the options need to be planned out, analyzed, weighed and then someone like W: the deciderer, will decide which way to go - hopefully based on the best information and projections of the outcome.

        The military has plans for how to blow up everything from the Kremlin to obscure towns all over the globe, what resources and time it will take to gain control of various targets, cities, etc. that's their job too.

        --
        🌻🌻 [google.com]
    • (Score: 5, Insightful) by Thexalon on Wednesday September 29 2021, @02:42AM (5 children)

      by Thexalon (636) on Wednesday September 29 2021, @02:42AM (#1182557)

      The fact is that the US's efforts to imprison, torture, or murder Julian Assange have been bipartisan for a long time. When he released the famous "Collateral Murder" video, everybody in the US government who was supporting the Iraq War (i.e. almost everybody but a few fringe figures like Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich) wanted to get rid of him, and the then-independent senator Joe Lieberman made a bunch of phone calls to the credit card companies to stop processing financial donations to Wikileaks. A few years later, somebody just happened to come forward with sexual assault charges in Sweden, and the Swedes insisted he had to be in physical custody in Sweden and wouldn't agree to not turn him over to the US government. And about a decade later, when the DNC emails were released, that ended his chances of anything resembling fair treatment if he ever ended up in US hands, as I'm sure he well knows.

      A lot of projection has been going on in the US with regards to this case, including assuming that whatever party you normally support or politicians you voted in favor of had nothing to do with it. They would rather shut him up than, y'know, stop doing the sorts of things that would be worth leaking.

      --
      The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
      • (Score: 5, Informative) by canopic jug on Wednesday September 29 2021, @06:47AM (1 child)

        by canopic jug (3949) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday September 29 2021, @06:47AM (#1182641) Journal

        Close. Yes, he was wanted for questioning -- after the prosecutor was replaced and the new prosecutor reopened the case. And, yes, they refused to follow protocol and visit him or interview him via phone. Despite that, no, there were no charges against him in Sweden, ever, at any point. Tragically, that disinformation has been repeated so often that people start to accept that lie as fact.

        --
        Money is not free speech. Elections should not be auctions.
        • (Score: 2) by Thexalon on Wednesday September 29 2021, @03:14PM

          by Thexalon (636) on Wednesday September 29 2021, @03:14PM (#1182763)

          Thank you for that correction: Yes, it wasn't charges, it was an accusation that could have led to charges sometime down the road. The important thing was, they wanted the man in jail, largely for the contents of what he was reporting, never mind the First Amendment or EU Human Rights Conventions.

          --
          The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
      • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Phoenix666 on Wednesday September 29 2021, @01:57PM (2 children)

        by Phoenix666 (552) on Wednesday September 29 2021, @01:57PM (#1182732) Journal

        The fact is that the US's efforts to imprison, torture, or murder Julian Assange have been bipartisan for a long time.

        Yes, and this is the kind of thing that has gotten many talking about the "Deep State," that which transcends and controls both political parties in the US. It's the military industrial complex that wants to kill Assange, and the politicians are just along for the ride.

        People across the political spectrum see the same force at work. They have different names for it, and have even been conditioned tribally to be triggered by the names the other tribe uses, but they're all talking about the same force. It's a bit like Christians scoffing at the term "Allah" while the Muslims scoff at "God," even though they're all talking about the same deity.

        I hope that one day, after the Deep State (or whatever term you prefer) has been smashed, we can build a monument somewhere with Assange, Snowden, and possibly Binney on it to remind future generations. They are heroes of our age.

        --
        Washington DC delenda est.
    • (Score: 2) by shortscreen on Wednesday September 29 2021, @07:39AM (2 children)

      by shortscreen (2252) on Wednesday September 29 2021, @07:39AM (#1182655) Journal

      No, "all the Assange stuff" is not projection. There has been a decade-long plot to extradite the guy which is still ongoing. An old statement from the DOJ saying they don't feel like bringing whatever bs charges at that particular moment is meaningless when Assange was already trapped in the embassy and nobody had called off the attack dogs then or since. The US could have directed Sweden and the UK to call it off. They didn't.

      BTW, this story seems to contradict the long running fake news [theatlantic.com] that Assange, Trump, and Russia were all in league together, doesn't it?

      • (Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday September 29 2021, @04:10PM (1 child)

        by DeathMonkey (1380) on Wednesday September 29 2021, @04:10PM (#1182799) Journal

        There has been a decade-long plot to extradite the guy which is still ongoing.

        Nope. The first administration to attempt extradition was Trump's.

        • (Score: 3, Touché) by shortscreen on Wednesday September 29 2021, @06:29PM

          by shortscreen (2252) on Wednesday September 29 2021, @06:29PM (#1182867) Journal

          They started the legal process. The extralegal process was already underway.

  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by Mykl on Tuesday September 28 2021, @11:22PM (9 children)

    by Mykl (1112) on Tuesday September 28 2021, @11:22PM (#1182478)

    This shows what a joke the US's assurances about a fair trial for Assange really are.

    We should never allow him to be extradited to the US to be prosecuted and dropped in Gitmo for the rest of his life.

    • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday September 28 2021, @11:26PM (6 children)

      by JoeMerchant (3937) on Tuesday September 28 2021, @11:26PM (#1182480)

      Gitmo might be preferable to his current situation. It's not like they're going to get any valuable information from interrogating him.

      --
      🌻🌻 [google.com]
      • (Score: 5, Informative) by MostCynical on Tuesday September 28 2021, @11:48PM (5 children)

        by MostCynical (2589) on Tuesday September 28 2021, @11:48PM (#1182485) Journal

        "they" don't want information - they want Mrevenge

        He enabled airing of very dirty laundry, made war crimes public - and "they" need to make sure he suffers.

        Just so anyone else thinks twice about doing anything similar to Wikileaks.. and so Julian can't do it again (he is already damaged beyond repair, so that part has been achieved, even if he is still alive)

        Note: "they" are military and TLAs - not the government of the day - read/re-read The Prince [wikipedia.org].

        --
        "I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
        • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday September 29 2021, @01:19AM (4 children)

          by JoeMerchant (3937) on Wednesday September 29 2021, @01:19AM (#1182522)

          His current situation is uncertain, being in Gitmo there's nothing else for _him_ to fear. However, the flock of lawyers who would volunteer to represent him would make sure he's living like a Hawaiian King down there, even if he's not allowed to leave.

          Which is why, should they grab him, they won't do anything as cliche' as throwing him in Gitmo - it would likely be a SuperMax somewhere decidedly unpleasant.

          --
          🌻🌻 [google.com]
          • (Score: 2) by MostCynical on Wednesday September 29 2021, @03:26AM (3 children)

            by MostCynical (2589) on Wednesday September 29 2021, @03:26AM (#1182574) Journal

            and many people accept that the US wants to lock him up, or worse, that he should be locked up..

            --
            "I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
            • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday September 29 2021, @11:08AM (2 children)

              by JoeMerchant (3937) on Wednesday September 29 2021, @11:08AM (#1182692)

              The whole "treason: punishable by death" thing should be long outmoded, especially when it is such a grey area deciding who is the treasonous party and who is the hero champion of the national laws and spirit.

              --
              🌻🌻 [google.com]
              • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Phoenix666 on Wednesday September 29 2021, @01:59PM

                by Phoenix666 (552) on Wednesday September 29 2021, @01:59PM (#1182733) Journal

                There can be no treason in Assange's case. He is not American. He owes America no loyalty.

                --
                Washington DC delenda est.
              • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 29 2021, @02:03PM

                by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 29 2021, @02:03PM (#1182735)

                You can see that the framers of the constitution were already concerned by an abuse of the term "treason".

    • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday September 29 2021, @02:04AM (1 child)

      by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday September 29 2021, @02:04AM (#1182547) Journal

      It won't be Gitmo. They created a whole new class of people, then created Gitmo specifically for that class of people. Assange is no "enemy combatant". Can't even be called a terrorist, unless you torture the definition beyond any recognition. The US wants us all to believe that he's a criminal, so he'll be tried under US criminal law if/when he arrives in a court's jurisdiction.

      • (Score: 4, Informative) by Mykl on Wednesday September 29 2021, @05:49AM

        by Mykl (1112) on Wednesday September 29 2021, @05:49AM (#1182622)

        Can't even be called a terrorist, unless you torture the definition beyond any recognition

        Joe Biden will give it a shot [theguardian.com]

  • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 28 2021, @11:59PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 28 2021, @11:59PM (#1182488)

    Ordinarily I don't participate because there's no guarantee the project gets done after they get your money, but these guys have a great track record.

  • (Score: 2) by looorg on Wednesday September 29 2021, @12:06AM (1 child)

    by looorg (578) on Wednesday September 29 2021, @12:06AM (#1182492)

    This is news? I thought this was the worst kept secret ever. Have the friends of Assange not been saying it for years now? Or is this just the first time they have some tangible proof?

    • (Score: -1, Redundant) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 29 2021, @02:44AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 29 2021, @02:44AM (#1182559)

      Just some more "leaks" on a slow news day. Can't let people think about how we're fucking up now, just keep them mad at Trump until he's back in the tweety-chair.

  • (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 29 2021, @10:32AM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 29 2021, @10:32AM (#1182688)

    Wait until CLOT SHOTS really start killing those DUMB enough to take one when FLU SEASON kicks in Oct-March or so!

    I hate to say it, but it makes you PITY THEM for being SO f'ing dumb!

    Pure SUICDE like "DeathMonkey" suicided himself vs. me ASKING FOR IT here lol https://soylentnews.org/comments.pl?noupdate=1&sid=45162&page=1&cid=1182286#commentwrap [soylentnews.org]

    Especially vs. a COMMON-COLD being put out as some "plague" when they CAN'T SHOW YOU A "COVID 19 VIRUS" under an electron microscope!

    When THE PCR TEST was invalidated! Especially by Kary Mullis the INVENTOR of it stating it proves nothing when it is turned up past iirc 24 cycles, which it WAS, to create FALSE POSITIVE results that ROPED DOPES IN for the next point:

    When the WHO changes the DEFINITION of "pandemic" from NUMBER OF DEATHS vs. NUMBER OF CASES to make a herd stampede in panic (herd of stupid sheeple).

    Please: ENJOY your periocarditis, myocarditis, brain aneurisms, NERVOUS "twitch" disorders OR PARALYSIS or lung CLOTS if not cancer or sterility from your "FINE VACCINE" (which doesn't even WORK, lol - except to tune you into RADIO STATION "WKILL", lol - can't happen soon enough & it will soon, bank on it).

    * They KEEP "downmodding" this post, but I just put it up again, lmao as I do - there is NO STOPPING FACT or me, get used to it, losers.

    EVERYONE knows it: Even the "DemonRATS" who were proven to have CHEATED in Maricopa county Arizona - all "their kind" KNOW how to do is cheat, lie, steal (& produce zero with their do-nothing TROLL LEACH LIVES).

    Nicest part of it though? It shows & they fool NOBODY but themselves - Satan's LITTLE PAWNS, & nothing more.

    APK

    P.S.=> SOCKPUPPETEERING DEMONRATS DELUDING THEMSELVES attempting to "FOOL" others, only FOOLING THEMSELVES? SOYLENT NEWS' OWN moderators/admins here KNOW it goes on, big write up here on it in fact https://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=21/08/19/0211237 [soylentnews.org] on downmod bombing opponents/upmodding their many sockpuppet accounts etc. who "downmod bomb" others when they are BLOWN AWAY by FACTS - you know - like Ivermectin is a solution that not only works but was AWARDED & noted as such since the mid 1990's for HUMAN BEINGS TOO iirc)... apk

    • (Score: 1, Offtopic) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday September 29 2021, @03:02PM

      by DeathMonkey (1380) on Wednesday September 29 2021, @03:02PM (#1182754) Journal

      Doesn't take a sockpuppet army to determine this is offtopic as fuck.

      But, it is nice to know how hard I can trigger you by simply asking for a citation.

  • (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 29 2021, @05:36PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 29 2021, @05:36PM (#1182842)

    the ((( CIA )))

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