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Hacking Team Complains That its Leaked Zero-Days Will be Misused
Hacking Team has issued a statement [hackingteam.com] confirming that its code and zero-day software vulnerabilities were leaked [soylentnews.org]:
It is now apparent that a major threat exists because of the posting by cyber criminals of HackingTeam proprietary software on the Internet the night of July 6. HackingTeam's investigation has determined that sufficient code was released to permit anyone to deploy the software against any target of their choice.
Before the attack, HackingTeam could control who had access to the technology which was sold exclusively to governments and government agencies. Now, because of the work of criminals, that ability to control who uses the technology has been lost. Terrorists, extortionists and others can deploy this technology at will if they have the technical ability to do so.
Adobe has patched [theregister.co.uk] a security bug in flash, and Microsoft is working [theregister.co.uk] on a vulnerable kernel driver. Discussed at The Register [theregister.co.uk] and Motherboard [vice.com].
The Intercept has detailed [firstlook.org] Hacking Team's demonstration to a Bangladesh "death squad," the use of Hacking Team software by the DEA to spy on all Colombian ISPs from the U.S. embassy in Bogota, and more. In one email, CEO David Vincenzetti unwittingly predicts the current fallout while warning employees not to leak the company's secrets: "Imagine this: a leak on WikiLeaks showing YOU explaining the evilest technology on earth! :-)" he wrote. "You will be demonized by our dearest friends the activists, and normal people will point their fingers at you."
Privacy International's Deputy Director Eric King has called [eff.org] the leaks "the equivalents of the Edward Snowden leaks for the surveillance industry." Nevertheless, Hacking Team plans to continue its operations [threatpost.com]. PhineasFisher, a hacker who penetrated Hacking Team's competitor Gamma International last year and leaked 40 GB of internal data, has claimed responsibility [vice.com] for this hack.
