US Intelligence Search for Person Who Passed Secret Data to WikiLeaks
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The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are trying to identify the individual who was involved in the recent breach that allowed WikiLeaks to publish classified CIA documents, including on certain malware that affects smartphones, media report.
The CIA and the FBI are looking for an "insider" who could be a CIA employee or a contractor, sources familiar with the investigation told CBS on Wednesday, specifying that hundreds of people could have had access to the classified material.
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| Photo: Reuters |
Last week, WikiLeaks published six documents on CIA-developed HIVE malware, which allows to transfer information uncovered by the agency on target devices to the CIA and to receive commands on what to do with the information.
The revelation was part of a larger series of WikiLeaks publications of what it claims are CIA-linked confidential files. WikiLeaks started releasing the confidential data on March 7, publishing documents on various spying techniques and vulnerabilities in major operating systems, studied and documented by the CIA. Part of the data uncovered the existence of a program that purportedly allows the CIA to cover its digital tracks. An April 7 release suggested that the CIA had developed tools that could be used undetected by major anti-virus programs.
The CIA has not confirmed the authenticity of the documents, while the White House has condemned the leak. Last week, CIA Director Mike Pompeo called WikiLeaks a "non-state hostile intelligence service, often abetted by state actors, like Russia."
Responding to Pompeo’s remarks, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said that they are aimed at subverting US democracy and the first amendment of the US constitution.
