News | Journalism
April 07, 2017
WikiLeaks on Friday published additional 27 documents, part of a Vault 7, a larger series of releases of CIA classified documents, with the latest batch focused on the Grasshopper platform for building malware, the whistleblowing organization said in a press release.
Source: Sputnik News
"Today, April 7th 2017, WikiLeaks releases Vault 7 "Grasshopper" — 27 documents from the CIA's Grasshopper framework, a platform used to build customized malware payloads for Microsoft Windows operating systems," the Wikileaks press release read.
According to the whistleblower site, Grasshopper may be used by CIA to determine whether the operating system is being protected by a certain anti-virus or what version of Windows it is operating on.
"Grasshopper is provided with a variety of modules that can be used by a CIA operator as blocks to construct a customized implant that will behave differently, for example maintaining persistence on the computer differently, depending on what particular features or capabilities are selected in the process of building the bundle. Additionally, Grasshopper provides a very flexible language to define rules that are used to 'perform a pre-installation survey of the target device, assuring that the payload will only [be] installed if the target has the right configuration'."
The program allows to create tools that go undetected by major anti-viruses.
Wikileaks added that the Grasshopper batch sheds lights on "the process of building modern espionage tools and insights into how the CIA maintains persistence over infected Microsoft Windows computers, providing directions for those seeking to defend their systems to identify any existing compromise."
March 31, 2017
Wikileaks Releases Third Batch of 'Vault-7' on CIA Hacking Tactics. According to the Wikileaks' press release, the "Marble" contains 676 source code files for the CIA's secret anti-forensic Marble Framework. "Marble is used to hamper forensic investigators and anti-virus companies from attributing viruses, trojans and hacking attacks to the CIA."
Source: Sputnik News
"This is the digital equivalent of a specialized CIA tool to place covers over the english language text on U.S. produced weapons systems before giving them to insurgents secretly backed by the CIA," according to the whistleblowing site.
The Wikileaks stated that the "Marble" was used by the Central Intelligence Agency during 2016.
According to the whistleblowing organization, the framework hides "text fragments used in CIA malware from visual inspection."
The Marble is developed to "allow for flexible and easy-to-use obfuscation" as "string obfuscation algorithms (especially those that are unique) are often used to link malware to a specific developer or development shop."
CIA's Marble Framework has test examples not just in English, but in other languages, including Russian, Chinese, Farsi, Arabic and Korean.
"This would permit a forensic attribution double game, for example by pretending that the spoken language of the malware creator was not American English, but Chinese, but then showing attempts to conceal the use of Chinese, drawing forensic investigators even more strongly to the wrong conclusion, —- but there are other possibilities, such as hiding fake error messages," the press release stated.
March 23, 2017
Wikileaks has released a new batch of 'Vault 7' revelations on CIA hacking techniques. The second batch of 'Vault-7' is called "Dark Matter." The "Dark Matter" contains documentation for several CIA projects that infect Apple Mac computer firmware developed by the CIA's Embedded Development Branch (EDB).
Source: Sputnik News
"These documents explain the techniques used by CIA to gain 'persistence' on Apple Mac devices, including Macs and iPhones and demonstrate their use of EFI/UEFI and firmware malware," according to Wikileaks' press release.
Moreover, the documents reveal the "Sonic Screwdriver" project, a "mechanism for executing code on peripheral devices while a Mac laptop or desktop is booting" allowing an attacker to boot its attack software for example from a USB stick "even when a firmware password is enabled".
"While CIA assets are sometimes used to physically infect systems in the custody of a target it is likely that many CIA physical access attacks have infected the targeted organization's supply chain including by interdicting mail orders and other shipments (opening, infecting, and resending) leaving the United States or otherwise," the press release said.
"DarkSeaSkies" is a CIA "implant that persists in the firmware of an Apple MacBook Air computer" and consists of "DarkMatter", "SeaPea" and "NightSkies," the release noted.
The release is full of code names that are difficult for typical computer, or iPhone, user to understand, such as "Triton" MacOSX malware, a MacOSX infector named "Dark Mallet" and a firmware version named "DerStake."
In computer jargon, firmware means that the infection will persist, even if the operating system is re-installed, according to the release.
Update: Vault 7 Leaks | WOW! WikiLeaks says just 1% of #Vault7 covert documents released so far
March 08, 2017
WikiLeaks says just 1% of #Vault7 covert documents released so far. WikiLeaks’ data dump on Tuesday accounted for less than one percent of ‘Vault 7’, a collection of leaked CIA documents which revealed the extent of its hacking capabilities, the whistleblowing organization has claimed on Twitter.
Source: RT News
‘Year Zero’, comprising 8,761 documents and files, was released unexpectedly by WikiLeaks. The organization had initially announced that it was part of a larger series, known as ‘Vault 7.’
However, it did not give further information on when more leaks would occur or on how many series would comprise ‘Vault 7’.
The leaks have revealed the CIA’s covert hacking targets, with smart TVs infiltrated for the purpose of collecting audio, even when the device is powered off.
The Google Android Operating System, used in 85 percent of the world’s smartphones, was also exposed as having severe vulnerabilities, allowing the CIA to “weaponize” the devices.
The CIA would not confirm the authenticity of the leak. “We do not comment on the authenticity or content of purported intelligence documents.” Jonathan Liu, a spokesman for the CIA, is cited as saying in The Washington Post.
WikiLeaks claims the leak originated from within the CIA before being “lost” and circulated amongst “former U.S. government hackers and contractors.” From there the classified information was passed to WikiLeaks.
End-to-end encryption used by applications such as WhatsApp was revealed to be futile against the CIA’s hacking techniques, dubbed ‘zero days’, which were capable of accessing messages before encryption was applied.
The leak also revealed the CIA’s ability to hide its own hacking fingerprint and attribute it to others, including Russia. An archive of fingerprints – digital traces which give a clue about the hacker’s identity – was collected by the CIA and left behind to make others appear responsible.
March 07, 2017
After US President Donald Trump’s unprecedented accusation that former President Barack Obama tapped the former’s phones, questions surround the motivations behind surveillance and the reach of US intelligence agencies.
Source: Sputnik News
Radio Sputnik’s Loud & Clear speaks with NSA whistleblower William Binney about how Trump’s allegations not only point to the nearly-unlimited powers of the US surveillance state, but also indicate a desperate ploy to help Democrats maintain power after losing the presidency.
This past week Trump tweeted: "Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!" and, "Is it legal for a sitting President to be 'wire tapping' a race for president prior to an election? Turned down by court earlier. A NEW LOW!"
Following Trump’s tweet, FBI Director James Comey asked the US Justice Department to publicly refute the President’s claims.
Binney pointed out that while Trump accusations seem startling, such actions are not altogether new in American politics, noting that Richard Nixon also used the NSA, FBI, and the CIA during the Watergate scandal.
He also brought up how clandestine surveillance programs, like the FBI’s Counterintelligence Program (COINTELPRO), was used to spy on the anti-war movement of the 1960’s and surveilled activists like Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Black Panther Party.
Loud & Clear Host Brian Becker suggested that, if true, Obama may have ordered the wiretaps as a reaction to Trump’s willingness to improve relations with Russia, positing that Washington has been antagonistic toward Moscow, even decades after the Cold War.
"They’re trying to start a new Cold War." Binney said, "Why? Because for the military, industrial, intelligence and governmental complex that’s involved here that means trillions of dollars in spending from taxpayers. It means a lot more going into their budgets, a lot more programming and empire building in government. So I think we have a bunch of people in Congress and various places who cannot change."
March 07, 2017
In the explosive “Vault 7” CIA secrets published by WikiLeaks on Tuesday, the organization has warned that the CIA, among a myriad of other intrusive exploits, has been investigating ways to hack and manipulate the control systems of cars and trucks for use in covert operations.
Source: Sputnik News
According to WikiLeaks, the CIA’s interest in hacking vehicles is not specified, but could be used in sinister ways, including assassinations.
"As of October 2014 the CIA was also looking at infecting the vehicle control systems used by modern cars and trucks," WikiLeaks said in a statement. "The purpose of such control is not specified, but it would permit the CIA to engage in nearly undetectable assassinations."
Many current vehicles are now mainly controlled by computer systems — including brake control, air bags, acceleration, steering, door locks, and other vital systems.
March 07, 2017
The American consulate in Frankfurt functions as a covert base for CIA hacking operations across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the whistleblowing site WikiLeaks said, revealing the latest batch of their documents.
Source: RT News
According to the leaked documents, the US consulate, located on Giessener Strasse opposite the Frankfurt cemetery, is the home of the Center for Cyber Intelligence Europe, or CCIE, which carries out hacking operations across the continent as well as the Middle East and Africa.
The documents reveal instructions for incoming hackers, containing not only mundane travel tips (“Flying Lufthansa: Booze is free so enjoy (within reason)!”) and details of local amenities (“Gas stations are not recommended for fine dining”) but also the official cover story should the agents be stopped by German customs, which is “supporting technical consultations at the Consulate.”
In addition to the cover story, the documents seem to show that CIA hackers work under the cover of the State Department and are issued with diplomatic “black” passports.
On top of this, the leaked documents reveal some of the CIA’s hacking techniques, which are able to penetrate such high-security systems as police databases that are not directly connected to the Internet.
This includes malware physically installed on computer systems by the agents using a USB. The “Fine Dining” tool provides 24 decoy programs, make it look like agent is running virus scan, watching videos, playing games and so on.
These latest revelations stem from WikiLeaks’ largest-ever disclosure from the agency, a total of 8,761 documents released on Wednesday as part of “Year Zero,” the first part in a series of leaks on the agency that the whistleblower organization has dubbed “Vault 7.”
The documents are said to originate from the internal network at Cyber Intelligence Center, located in CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia.
This is not the first time that WikiLeaks has revealed the extent of American intelligence agencies’ activities in Germany. In 2015, it published three intercepts of conversations held by German Chancellor Angela Merkel recorded by the NSA, which had been bugging her phones for years.
March 07, 2017
#Vault7: How the CIA steals hacking fingerprints to cover its tracks. The CIA can hide its own fingerprints from its hacking exploits and attribute blame to others, such as Russia and China, according to WikiLeaks’ Year Zero confidential data release. Every hacking technique leaves a “fingerprint” which, when collated, can be used to connect different attacks and tie them to the same culprit.
Source: RT News
The CIA’s Remote Development Branch (RDB)’s Umbrage sub-group collects an archive of hacking exploits created by other actors, like Russia and other hackers, and leaves this false trace for others to detect.
Umbrage captures and collects keyloggers, passwords, webcam captures, data destruction, persistence, privilege escalation, stealth, anti-virus (PSP) avoidance and survey techniques.
This allows the CIA to not only steal other’s hack techniques, but falsely apportion blame to those actors.
An Umbrage document shows how the agency mined information from a breach of Italian “offensive security” vendor Hacking Team, that boasts governmental and law enforcement clients.
Some 400GB of data including “browser credential stealing” and “six different zero-day exploits” was released in the breach, which Umbrage studied and added to its repository.
Wikileaks: NEW 'Vault 7' Leaks | CIA Catalogues Hack Techniques Used by Other States, Including Russia
March 07, 2017
The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) collects the hacking techniques originating from other countries, including Russia, which may later be used by the US agency to cover its tracks, the whistleblowing organization WikiLeaks said Tuesday.
Source: Sputnik News
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Earlier on Tuesday, the WikiLeaks began to release what it said was an unprecedentedly large archive of CIA-related classified documents.
"The CIA's Remote Devices Branch's UMBRAGE group collects and maintains a substantial library of attack techniques 'stolen' from malware produced in other states including the Russian Federation. With UMBRAGE and related projects the CIA cannot only increase its total number of attack types but also misdirect attribution by leaving behind the "fingerprints" of the groups that the attack techniques were stolen from," the WikiLeaks said in a press release.
According to WikiLeaks, UMBRAGE collects passwords, manages anti-virus avoidance and stealth programs.
The CIA recently had its large archive of hacking techniques floated around in an unauthorized manner.
"Recently, the CIA lost control of the majority of its hacking arsenal including malware, viruses, trojans, weaponized 'zero day' exploits, malware remote control systems and associated documentation," WikiLeaks wrote in a press release.
According to the website, a large archive comprising various viruses, malware, software vulnerability hacks and relevant documentation, was uncovered by US government hackers, which is how WikiLeaks gained access to some of the data from the trove.
The revelations comes after in a recent report on alleged Russian meddling in November's US presidential election, US intelligence agencies claimed "with high confidence" that Russia's Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) used Guccifer 2.0 hacker, as well as the DCLeaks.com website, to hack computers belonging to both major US political parties and release the obtained information in an effort to covertly influence the election and help Donald Trump win.
Best Media Analysis of Trump Tower Wiretapping Narrative | Video: Judge Jeanine Pirro Cuts Through The Deception
Judge Jeanine Pirro reacts to Mr. Obama wiretapping President Trump.
Source: Judge Jeanine Pirro, Fox News
Please watch for clarification of the origins of 'Obama-Trump Wiretap' claims.
February 16, 2017
WikiLeaks has puzzled the public with a mysterious "Vault 7" riddle. Given several hints dropped by the organization the world may witness a new disclosure. WikiLeaks says it will be big.
Source: Sputnik News
WikiLeaks continues to tease the public with the alleged upcoming exposure of new explosive information. Apparently, it may have something to do with Hillary Clinton.
"WikiLeaks asked what is Vault 7, where is Vault 7, when is Vault 7. While the world waits for the 'why' and 'who', we assume that the answer as to 'when' is on February 19," a video released by Anonymous Scandinavia on Twitter says.
"What do Hillary Clinton, Google and WikiLeaks have to do with each other?… Is Hillary Clinton going to be prosecuted?" the video asks.
Zero Hedge reported Wednesday that WikiLeaks, an international non-profit organization that publishes news leaks and classified information has started releasing cryptic questions about the mysterious "Vault 7" on Twitter from February 4, 2017.
Every day the organization posted a question on Twitter with an image attached: "What, Where, When, Who, Why and How did WikiLeaks Acquire Vault 7?"
February 14, 2017
This Woman Was Politicized Since the Day She Was Introduced To the Public.
Source: Infowars.com
Now she is trying to divide America and demonize President Trump by purposely being ambiguous about a story in order to create fake news against Trump.
Washington Post, Huffington Post and others are all caught pushing this fal
The Rubin Report | 5 Min Video Hits The Nail On The Head About Regressive 'Progressive Left'
February 11, 2017
Even progressives are becoming disillusioned with their own ideology as they realize that it isn't progressive, but regressive.
Source: The Rubin Report, Infowars.com
Dave Rubin of The Rubin Report gives a crystal clear report into the nature of the progressive left and their tendency to result to 'regressive' views.
This is a video I intend on sharing with all my friends of the progressive left.
Dave Rubin has Jumped Ship.
Video starts at 0:50