WikiLeaks unveils how Apple products have been hacked for years
24 Mar 2017
NEWSWATCH: Yesterday, 23 March 2017, saw the release of WikiLeaks' Vault 7 "Dark Matter", a cache of documents which explains the techniques used by the CIA to gain 'persistence' on Apple Mac devices, including Macs and iPhones. The documents also demonstrate the use of EFI/UEFI and firmware malware.
It is reported that Vault 7 "Dark Matter" contains documentation for several CIA projects that infect Apple Mac firmware (meaning the infection persists even if the operating system is re-installed) developed by the CIA's Embedded Development Branch (EDB).
Apple's claim that it has "fixed" all "vulnerabilities" described in DARKMATTER is duplicitous. EFI is a systemic problem, not a zero-day.
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) March 24, 2017
According to WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, the organisation only published 1% of the information it has discovered.
#Julain_Assange: The #CIA has become a giant #hacker #spy agency! We Only published 1% of #Vault7 @wikileaks @YosriFouda @dw_arabic pic.twitter.com/0yopB6VUpN
— السلطة الخامسة (@dw_Sulta5) March 23, 2017
Among others, these documents reveal the "Sonic Screwdriver" project which, as explained by the CIA, is 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". The CIA's "Sonic Screwdriver" infector is stored on the modified firmware of an Apple Thunderbolt-to-Ethernet adapter.
Full recording: WikiLeaks press conference this afternoon on CIA / Vault7 / "Dark Matter" https://t.co/gGQgMzjLIL #Vault7 #cia #darkmatter
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) March 23, 2017
WikiLeaks #Vault7 shows CIA has been infecting supply chains for at least 8 yearshttps://t.co/Dn22OPrIr9
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) March 24, 2017
More: https://t.co/oGV212GlCL pic.twitter.com/8APJricEWo
For more:
- Dark Matter via WikiLeaks
- WikiLeaks unveils how CIA reportedly hacked our Apple products via The Next Web
- WikiLeaks’ New Dump Shows How The CIA Allegedly Hacked Macs and iPhones Almost a Decade Ago via Motherboard
About Ilse van den Berg
Ilse is a freelance journalist and editor with a passion for people & their stories (check out Passing Stories). She is also the editor of Go & Travel, a platform connecting all the stakeholders in the travel & tourism industry. You can check out her work here and here. Contact Ilse through her website here.
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