WikiLeaks, always the rabble rouser, this month leaked a plethora of purported government data that have even the sensible reaching for their tinfoil hats.
Nicknamed Vault 7, the release by the nonprofit publisher of censored and suppressed documents puts forward an inside look at intrusive CIA hacking tools that target, among other things, iPhones, Android devices, the Windows operating system and Samsung televisions. As more devices gain online capabilities in what has become known as the internet of things – refrigerators and stuffed animals being among the oddest – the fear of intrusion grows more palpable.
Worse, according to the report, the CIA recently lost control of an arsenal that includes malware, viruses, trojans, remote devices and exploits.
“The archive appears to have been circulated among former U.S. government hackers and contractors in an unauthorized manner, one of whom has provided WikiLeaks with portions of the archive,” WikiLeaks officials said in a news release, noting the stolen tools amount to several hundred million lines of code.
Though the CIA has said it’s “legally prohibited from conducting electronic surveillance targeting individuals here at home,” no one enjoys the thought of Big Brother checking in on their daily affairs.
As an aside, perhaps I continue to enjoy being blissfully ignorant on the subject, but is it really a surprise the CIA has sophisticated hacking tools? If they didn’t, I might be even more concerned.
Arguably more paranoia inducing is cyber criminals getting their hands on high-tech tools developed for governmental affairs. The potential threat is, to say the least, alarming.
“Comparisons can be drawn between the uncontrolled proliferation of such weapons, which results from the inability to contain them combined with their high market value and the global arms trade,” WikiLeaks Editor Julian Assange said in the release.
Rather than head down the rabbit hole where other conspiracies stew – sorry, I’m not a believer that 9/11 was an inside job – I’ll offer a potential silver lining. It’s about the customer side, aka the money side. It’s the perspective that companies must do all they can to please the customer in order to keep them.
The same companies I listed above, and many others, have an opportunity and a responsibility to use the WikiLeaks information to improve their products for the good of their bottom lines. For us, their customers, that means added privacy if we demand it.
WikiLeaks has offered to help. Assange has said prior to releasing the supposed compromised tools to the public, it will give affected companies access to the exploits first.
That’s good news.
Apple, Microsoft and others in big tech have a chance to patch potential security holes before the ravenous internet population can take a peek. If given the chance, internet disruptors can and will use these tools to pry into our lives. Anonymity and humankind’s natural inclination to act the peeping Tom are a dangerous mix.
Instead, tech companies across the country can nix that type of behavior before it even begins. Better yet, they can see what type of tools big government money can buy and plan accordingly.
People don’t like to be spied on, and if they are in the know, they’ll use their wallets to vote for the companies that protect them.
As a fellow consumer, here’s a request: Keep an eye on this issue. Vault 7 is the first of a new series of leaks regarding the CIA, according to WikiLeaks.
Governmental reactions are one thing, but I’ll be looking at tech companies to see what they can provide me in terms of security. I can quite easily take my money to the next company doing a bang-up job of protecting the privacy of their customers.
You should, too.
Web Producer Geoff Pickle can be reached at gpickle@sbj.net.
