WikiLeaks: CIA Hoarded ‘Zero Day’ Exploits, Breached Obama Admin Commitments

CIA documents leaked by WikiLeaks appear to show that the CIA hoarded “zero day” exploits, a practice that the Obama administration promised to end under the Vulnerabilities Equities Process.

WikiLeaks’ data dump appears to show that the CIA failed to disclose serious vulnerabilities and exploits to Apple, Google, Microsoft or other US-based computer manufacturers, directly disobeying a commitment made by the Obama administration under the Vulnerabilities Equities Process.

In the wake of Edward Snowden’s leaks about the NSA, the U.S. technology industry secured a commitment from the Obama administration that the executive would disclose on an ongoing basis — rather than hoard — serious vulnerabilities, exploits, bugs or “zero days” to Apple, Google, Microsoft, and other US-based manufacturers.

Serious vulnerabilities not disclosed to the manufacturers places huge swathes of the population and critical infrastructure at risk to foreign intelligence or cyber criminals who independently discover or hear rumors of the vulnerability. If the CIA can discover such vulnerabilities so can others.

WikiLeaks further explained the commitments undertaken by the Obama administration to protect US computer manufacturers from these exploits,

The U.S. government’s commitment to the Vulnerabilities Equities Process came after significant lobbying by US technology companies, who risk losing their share of the global market over real and perceived hidden vulnerabilities. The government stated that it would disclose all pervasive vulnerabilities discovered after 2010 on an ongoing basis.

“Year Zero” documents show that the CIA breached the Obama administration’s commitments. Many of the vulnerabilities used in the CIA’s cyber arsenal are pervasive and some may already have been found by rival intelligence agencies or cyber criminals.

WikiLeaks then outlines how an exploit kept private by the CIA could have left both Android and iPhone software vulnerable to hacking, possibly putting the digital accounts of government officials and even the president in danger:

As an example, specific CIA malware revealed in “Year Zero” is able to penetrate, infest and control both the Android phone and iPhone software that runs or has run presidential Twitter accounts. The CIA attacks this software by using undisclosed security vulnerabilities (“zero days”) possessed by the CIA but if the CIA can hack these phones then so can everyone else who has obtained or discovered the vulnerability. As long as the CIA keeps these vulnerabilities concealed from Apple and Google (who make the phones) they will not be fixed, and the phones will remain hackable.

The same vulnerabilities exist for the population at large, including the U.S. Cabinet, Congress, top CEOs, system administrators, security officers and engineers. By hiding these security flaws from manufacturers like Apple and Google the CIA ensures that it can hack everyone at the expense of leaving everyone hackable.

Read the full WikiLeaks data dump here.