WikiLeaks Dumps CIA Document Collection

Kieran Hogan, Reporter

In the past year, WikiLeaks has been a major resource in exposing government secrets. Its recent “Vault 7” leak does just that.

WikiLeaks, run by Australian journalist Julian Assange, released 8,761 documents relating to the CIA. According to their website, the leak is “the largest ever publication of confidential documents on the agency.” The amount of documents already surpasses three years of NSA leaks by Edward Snowden. This isn’t even the full extent of CIA documents hacked, as WikiLeaks tweeted that just one percent of Vault 7 has been released.

So what kind of information did the documents include? The CIA, through the use of malware, is able to hack any iOS, Linux, Solaris, or macOS device. They also have the ability to compromise a number of anti-virus programs. A tool named “Weeping Angel” allows the agency to hack into the microphone of certain Samsung smart TVs. But perhaps the most unsettling piece of information reveals that the CIA has looked into hacking smart cars, providing the ability to remotely crash select vehicles.

This technology is allegedly only intended for foreign uses, although according to Rolling Stone Magazine, the CIA was also supposed to disclose software vulnerabilities, which they did not do.

According to the Free Thought Project, congressman Dennis Kucinich said that “It is becoming increasingly clear that we are sliding down the slippery slope towards totalitarianism, where private lives do not exist.” If these leaks are an indicator of what’s to come, we can expect plenty more from WikiLeaks in the near future.