In particular, Wikileaks highlighted how the agency's 'Weeping Angel' programme, developed by the CIA's Embedded Devices Branch, infects smart TVs, transforming them into covert microphones. The attack against Samsung smart TVs was developed in cooperation with the UK intelligence agency MI5. After infestation, Weeping Angel places the target TV in a 'Fake-Off' mode, so that the owner falsely believes the TV is off when it is on. In 'Fake-Off' mode the TV operates as a bug, recording conversations in the room and sending them over the internet to a covert CIA server, the report alleges.
The CIA's Mobile Devices Branch also developed numerous attacks to remotely hack and control popular smartphones, according to the report. Infected phones can be instructed to send the CIA the user's location, audio and text communications as well as covertly activate the phone's camera and microphone, the documents claim. Wikileaks found that a specialized unit in the CIA's Mobile Development Branch produces malware to infest, control and exfiltrate data from iPhones and other Apple products running iOS, such as iPads.
A similar unit reportedly targets Google's Android. As of 2016 the CIA had 24 "weaponized" Android "zero days" which it has developed itself and obtained from other agencies such as GCHQ or the NSA and cyber arms contractors, the report said. These techniques permit the CIA to bypass the encryption of WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram, Wiebo, Confide and Cloackman by hacking the phones that they run on and collecting audio and message traffic before encryption is applied.
While Google did not comment on the report, Samsung told the BBC that it was "urgently" looking into the matter. Microsoft, whose Windows OS was also mentioned as a possible target of CIA hacking, also said it was investigating the matter. Apple issued the most detailed response, saying it had already addressed some of the vulnerabilities in the last update of iOS, which more than 80 percent of customers are using. The company said it would work "to rapidly address any identified vulnerabilities" and urged customers to always download its most recent security updates.
