As part of its “Vault 7” series, Wikileaks has just released another batch of classified information that focused on exploits, hacking tools and techniques CIA created to hack Apple MacBook and iOS devices.
Dubbed “Dark Matter,” this second batch of CIA revelation contains five documents on Mac and iPhone hacks developed by the CIA.The hacking tools and techniques were developed by the CIA’s special unit, called Embedded Development Branch (EDB) – the same branch that developed ‘Weeping Angel’ attack – and focused specifically on hacking Mac and iOS firmware.
Persistent Mac OS and iPhone Malware that You Can’t Get Rid of!
The newly released documents explain about the hacking tools that are specially designed to infect Apple firmware in a way that the malware infection remains active on Mac OS and iOS devices even if the operating system has been re-installed.
According to Wikileaks, the released documents also gives a clear insight into “the techniques used by the CIA to gain ‘persistence’ on Apple Mac devices, including Macs and iPhones and demonstrate their use of EFI/UEFI and firmware malware.”
One of the documents reveals the “Sonic Screwdriver” project, which according to the CIA, is a “mechanism for executing code on peripheral devices while a Mac laptop or desktop is booting.”
This allows hackers to boot its attack software from a peripheral device – such as a USB stick or a screwdriver –“even when a firmware password is enabled” on the device, which means the read-only memory of a device can be modified using Sonic Screwdriver.
The malware is stored in the Apple Thunderbolt-to-Ethernet adapter, claims WikiLeaks.
Infecting “Factory Fresh” iPhones During Transport
Another document in the latest release consists of a manual for the CIA’s “NightSkies 1.2,” which is described as a “beacon/loader/implant tool” for the Apple iPhone. What’s noteworthy is that this hacking tool has expressly been designed to infect “factory fresh” iPhones.
According to WikiLeaks, this also indicates that the CIA has been infecting the iPhone supply chain of its targets since at least 2008.
“While CIA assets are sometimes used to physically infect systems in the custody of a target it is likely that many CIA physical access attacks have infected the targeted organization’s supply chain including by interdicting mail orders and other shipments (opening, infecting, and resending) leaving the United States or otherwise,” says WikiLeaks.
This is the second bash of Vault 7 released by WikiLeaks, after the whistleblower organization released the first part of an unprecedentedly large archive of CIA-related classified documents on March 7.
The leak outlined a broad range of security bugs in software and devices, including iPhones, Android phones, and Samsung TVs, which millions of people around the world rely on, to intercept communications and spy on its targets.
We could see more revelations about the government and agencies from the WikiLeaks in coming days as part of its Year Zero leak series.
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