Edward Snowden: WikiLeaks document dump on CIA hacking capability ‘looks authentic’
By DANIEL CHAITIN
Washington Examiner
Snowden replied to this tweet with a “PSA,” saying that it “incorrectly implies CIA hacked these apps / encryption.”
Instead, Snowden says the Vault7 documents show that iOS and Android smartphones got hacked, which he said is a “much bigger problem.”
WikiLeaks #Vault7 confirms CIA can effectively bypass Signal + Telegram + WhatsApp + Confide encryptionhttps://t.co/h5wzfrReyy
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) March 7, 2017
In a separate tweet, Snowden said he is still parsing through the documents, many of which include long strings of code. But from what he’s seen so far, Snowden said that what WikiLeaks “has here is genuinely a big deal. Looks authentic.”
Still working through the publication, but what @Wikileaks has here is genuinely a big deal. Looks authentic.
— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) March 7, 2017
Snowden explained that program and office names in the documents “are real,” and could only be known by a “cleared insider.”
What makes this look real?
Program & office names, such as the JQJ (IOC) crypt series, are real. Only a cleared insider could know them.— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) March 7, 2017
If you're writing about the CIA/@Wikileaks story, here's the big deal: first public evidence USG secretly paying to keep US software unsafe. pic.twitter.com/kYi0NC2mOp
— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) March 7, 2017
The CIA reports show the USG developing vulnerabilities in US products, then intentionally keeping the holes open. Reckless beyond words.
— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) March 7, 2017
Snowden has been granted asylum in Russia since 2013 after he leaked secret information from the National Security Agency’s surveillance programs. As recently as January, Russia said it would extend Snowden’s asylum to 2020.