Moscow Urges US to Respond to WikiLeaks CIA Hacking Accusations

Russia is calling on the US security services to give a full response to WikiLeaks’ accusations regarding hackers of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Friday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Earlier this week, WikiLeaks released the first part of Vault 7 release of what it claimed to be CIA secret files, with the revelations so far including the agency hoarding hacking technologies and lists of major operating systems vulnerabilities.

"If this information is confirmed, it would be desirable for the US security services to respond fully and adequately to the released documents with specific facts, and if this information is confirmed then this is a great danger to the world and international security," Zakharova told a briefing.

Yesterday, the Kremlin spokesman said Moscow was taking into account US attempts to wiretap Russian President Vladimir Putin.

According to WikiLeaks, the Vault 7 series will be the biggest leak of confidential CIA data. The first part of the release shed light on hacking techniques developed and employed by the agency, including programs targeting all major computer operating systems.

The authenticity of the documents has so far not been confirmed by the CIA. The White House has condemned the leak, stressing that those responsible for leaking classified information should be held accountable in accordance with the law.

In America, You don't watch TV- TV watches you! #Vault7 #wikileaks #ObamaGate https://t.co/Oj98iIxEAZ pic.twitter.com/DmhZc5CZpK

— BenGarrison Cartoons (@GrrrGraphics) 8 марта 2017 г.

Commenting on the revelation, Edward Snowden, former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor turned whistleblower, said that alleged CIA files released by WikiLeaks seemed "authentic" and "a big deal."

"If this information is correct, and we periodically learn that what the US special services are doing and amusing themselves with has always been confirmed… it is extremely dangerous, first of all from the standpoint of simply undermining the existing system of international relations," Zakharova said. "Accordingly, if these actions are confirmed, they simply undermine the trust that has been built with such difficulty between the countries," she stressed.

The WikiLeaks files show that CIA seemed to have devised or collected techniques to hack into Mac OS X, Windows, Linux computer operating systems, as well as Android and iOS software for mobile phones. The CIA was also said to have developed a technique that could target smart TV sets, making them record audio and send it to CIA servers.