Weeping Angel, Magical Mutt, Fine Dining and RoidRage — they’re the bizarre codenames for the powerful tools the CIA has allegedly been using to break into phones, TVs and computers.
Let’s be clear here. The ABC cannot verify the authenticity of these documents, and the CIA has declined to confirm whether they are real.
But WikiLeaks, which released the documents, has called it the largest release of confidential CIA intelligence documents ever.
Unlike the leaks from Edward Snowden — which he said he did to protect privacy, internet freedom and basic liberties — this cache doesn’t reveal anything beyond the tools and procedures used by the CIA. It’s designed to hurt and damage the agency.
WikiLeaks said its source wanted a public debate over whether the agency’s hacking capabilities exceeded its mandated powers.
How do they work?
Each of the exploits uses a different method to hack target devices.
Some projects, such as Fine Dining, require the operator to have physical access to a computer.
This tool from the CIA’s Operational Support Branch allows the user to insert a USB stick that downloads information from Windows computers, while giving the appearance of doing something else — like running a virus scan.
A checklist for case officers asks whether operators will be watched while the collection is occurring, how much time they will have, and what information they want (like location information, all the images or office documents).
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