CIA: Americans 'should be deeply troubled' by WikiLeaks' disclosure
REUTERS/Carlos Barria
The CIA responded to WikiLeaks' disclosure of the agency's hacking arsenal on Wednesday afternoon, saying that Americans should be "deeply troubled" by the revelations.
"The American public should be deeply troubled by any WikiLeaks disclosure designed to damage the Intelligence Community's ability to protect America against terrorists or other adversaries," the statement read, per NBC's Andrea Mitchell and Bradd Jaffy.
"Such disclosures not only jeopardize US personnel and operations, but also equip our adversaries with tools and information to do us harm," the statement continued.
The CIA maintained that they have "no comment" on whether the documents dumped by WikiLeaks on Tuesday morning are authentic. The documents outline the cyber tools and techniques the CIA uses for foreign espionage, including details about how the agency tries to hack into iPhones, Android phones, and Samsung TVs by infecting the devices with malware.
The CIA has insisted, however, that it does not target US citizens for surveillance, which is "legally prohibited."
"CIA's mission is to aggressively collect foreign intelligence overseas to protect America from terrorists, hostile nation states and other adversaries," the statement read. "CIA is legally prohinited from conducting electronic surveillance targeting individuals here at home, and the CIA does not do so."
The agency said it is "subject to rigorous oversight" to ensure its activities "comply fully with US law and the Constitution."
Cybersecurity experts told Business Insider's Natasha Bertrand that the leaks are a "big hit" to the CIA, and could set its cyberintelligence teams back by "at least a year."
Here's the full statement:
CIA statement on WikiLeaks - via @mitchellreports pic.twitter.com/avpNbCWsOR
- Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) March 8, 2017
- US buys 81 Soviet-era combat aircraft from Russia's ally costing on average less than $20,000 each, report says
- 2 states where home prices are falling because there are too many houses and not enough buyers
- A couple accidentally shipped their cat in an Amazon return package. It arrived safely 6 days later, hundreds of miles away.
- 9 health benefits of drinking sugarcane juice in summer
- 10 benefits of incorporating almond oil into your daily diet
- From heart health to detoxification: 10 reasons to eat beetroot
- Why did a NASA spacecraft suddenly start talking gibberish after more than 45 years of operation? What fixed it?
- ICICI Bank shares climb nearly 5% after Q4 earnings; mcap soars by ₹36,555.4 crore
- Nothing Phone (2a) blue edition launched
- JNK India IPO allotment date
- JioCinema New Plans
- Realme Narzo 70 Launched
- Apple Let Loose event
- Elon Musk Apology
- RIL cash flows
- Charlie Munger
- Feedbank IPO allotment
- Tata IPO allotment
- Most generous retirement plans
- Broadcom lays off
- Cibil Score vs Cibil Report
- Birla and Bajaj in top Richest
- Nestle Sept 2023 report
- India Equity Market