On Tuesday, WikiLeaks unleashed its latest trove of secrets: thousands of documents seemingly detailing the espionage techniques the Central Intelligence Agency has developed in recent years. Vault 7–the title WikiLeaks has given its latest series of potentially damaging info dumps–is the “largest ever publication of confidential documents on the agency,” according to the anti-secrecy outfit. Here is what you need to know.

What the Leaks Reveal

Basically, the documents–nearly 9,000 in total–show that the CIA is capable of compromising smartphones, messaging systems, and televisions, and using them as modes of surveillance. Anything that connects through the internet, the CIA can hijack as a listening or viewing portal. Produced by the CIA’s Center for Cyber Intelligence from 2013 to 2016, the documents are highly technical, and clearly meant for in-house viewing only. The documents, which have not been verified by the agency, come from an unidentified source.

Some of the programs detailed in the documents have colorful names: Wrecking Crew, CrunchyLimeSkies, ElderPiggy, AngerQuake, and McNugget to name a few. One program, called Weeping Angel, uses Samsung televisions that have internet capabilities and, according to a WikiLeaks description of the program, “operates as a bug, recording conversations in the room and sending them over the internet to a covert CIA server.”

It’s unclear where these documents came from. Some analysts say Russia, which provided WikiLeaks with Democratic operatives’ emails it hacked before the presidential election, could be responsible. While the CIA does not appear to penetrate already-encrypted messages, it is able to intercept messages before the content is encrypted. Encrypted messaging apps–Signal, WhatsApp, and Telegram–had also been cracked by the agency.

CIA and NSA: How Are They Different?

There are a number of differences between the National Security Agency’s espionage tools–revealed in 2013 in a WikiLeak dump provided by Edward Snowden–and the CIA’s abilities. For one (and this might save the agency from the same blowback the NSA experienced) there is no evidence that the CIA has spied on Americans. There is also no evidence the CIA, unlike the NSA, has engaged in a massive data collection effort of U.S. citizens.

Instead, the picture the documents paint is one of targeted espionage, focused on foreign actors. Another key distinction: the NSA poked holes that weren’t there to peer through; the CIA uses existing holes, or vulnerabilities in an app or device for surveillance purposes. But it does not appear the agency alerts companies of the vulnerabilities it unearths.

Despite the differences between the NSA’s program and CIA’s, Snowden called the documents “a big deal.” Snowden, who has been holed up in Russia, a country that routinely interferes in the democratic processes of sovereign nations, tweeted:

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

On Tuesday’s “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” Michael Hayden, the former director of both the CIA and the NSA, defended the CIA’s tactics. Hayden said the agency does not spy on Americans, but “there are people out there that you want us to spy on.” He added: “You want us to have the ability to actually turn on that listening device inside the TV to learn that person’s intentions.”

Alec Siegel

Alec Siegel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. When he’s not working at Law Street he’s either cooking a mediocre tofu dish or enjoying a run in the woods. His passions include: gooey chocolate chips, black coffee, mountains, the Animal Kingdom in general, and John Lennon. Baklava is his achilles heel. Contact Alec at ASiegel@LawStreetMedia.com.

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“Trump Is a Liar,” “Climate Change Denier,” “Bad Businessman,” “Trump Is Loyal Only to Himself.” No, these are not sound bytes snatched from the primaries or the titles of Hillary Clinton campaign ads. They are subheadings found in a 211-page playbook titled “Donald Trump Report.” Compiled by the Democratic National Committee, the beefy document–which includes briefings on Trump’s “Early Life” and “Business Ventures”–was hacked and obtained by what appear to be Russian-affiliated espionage actors in April and leaked online earlier this week.

Gawker was sent a cache of files that included the DNC’s playbook from “Guccifer 2.0,” whose alias is a nod to the Romanian hacker “Guccifer” who in 2013 hacked the personal accounts of George W. Bush and Colin Powell, the former secretary of state. “Guccifer 2.0” is claiming sole credit for the hack, but the cyber security firm CrowdStrike, whom the DNC turned to to investigate the matter, claims two separate, Kremlin-linked actors (nicknamed “COZY BEAR” and “FANCY BEAR”) are responsible.

“It’s the job of every foreign intelligence service to collect intelligence against their adversaries,” Shawn Henry, president of CrowdStrike told The Washington Post. “Their job when they wake up every day is to gather intelligence against the policies, practices and strategies of the U.S. government.” Henry is also the former head of the FBI’s cyber division.

The document does not contain any previously hidden, revelatory information regarding Trump, but it is a comprehensive look at the probable Republican presidential nominee’s life, business dealings and of course, vulnerabilities. There are 42 pages of “Top Narratives,” 19 pages of “Trump’s Career Overview,” and 118 pages under the heading “Trump on the Issues.”

According to the file’s embedded metadata, the document was created December 19, 2015 by a man named Warren Flood. Flood’s LinkedIn profile says he currently works for 63 Magazine, “the premier digital magazine for progressive political organizers.” Perhaps more relevant, he is also the president of Bright Blue Data LLC, “helping campaigns, organizations, and companies implement winning strategies using data, analytics, and technology.”

But more interesting than the document’s content is the motive of the Russian hackers and what it means–or doesn’t, in a time when state-on-state data breaches are the norm–for the geopolitical sphere. According to U.S. officials and the DNC, Russian spies dug into a trove of material, including DNC emails and the computers of some Republican PACs, or political action committees. “The purpose of such intelligence gathering is to understand the target’s proclivities,” Robert Deitz, a former general counsel at the NSA told The Washington Post.

Whether this was abnormal foul play or business as usual in an age of international cyber espionage, one thing is for sure: Donald Trump is not a fan of at least one thing that bears his name–the DNC playbook.

NEW – Trump statement on Gawker report of alleged DNC oppo file – “we believe DNC did the ‘hacking” pic.twitter.com/Euwlko9Fex

— John Santucci (@JTSantucci) June 15, 2016

Alec Siegel

Alec Siegel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. When he’s not working at Law Street he’s either cooking a mediocre tofu dish or enjoying a run in the woods. His passions include: gooey chocolate chips, black coffee, mountains, the Animal Kingdom in general, and John Lennon. Baklava is his achilles heel. Contact Alec at ASiegel@LawStreetMedia.com.

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