WikiLeaks Says It Will Help Firms Thwart 'CIA Hack Tools'

Julian Assange of WikiLeaks says he will help tech companies defend themselves against the cyberespionage tools used by the CIA whose existence he disclosed in a leak recently, CBS News reports. Speaking in an online press conference from his refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, Assange said “we have decided to work with them, to give them some exclusive access to some of the technical details we have, so that fixes can be pushed out.”

WikiLeaks recently published supposedly secret CIA files which had details regarding hacking tools used by the US government intelligence agencies to compromise computers, cell phones and smart TVs as part of cyberespionage. These tools are designed to overcome security features, codes and antivirus software, WikiLeaks alleges.

While the FBI is checking the authenticity of the leaked documents, the CIA pointed out it was “legally prohibited from conducting electronic surveillance targeting individuals here at home, including our fellow Americans, and the CIA does not do so.”

WikiLeaks is suspected of working with Russia and Senator John McCain has questioned “whether it’s a leak from an individual, or whether it’s Russian capabilities.”

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