What’s All the Fuss About?
Weeping Angel
What is it?
Software that MI5 and the CIA have allegedly been installing on some Samsung smart TVS to spy on people in their own homes. The claim was made by Wikileaks, which in early March published what it called the “biggest ever leak of secret CIA documents”.
How does it work?
According to the documents ( www. snipca.com/23745, see screenshot below), it tricks people into thinking their TV is switched off, when it’s actually still on and using the set’s microphone to covertly record conversations in the room. It’s named after the Doctor Who villains first seen in the 2007 episode Blink (see main image). David Tennant, playing the Time Lord, called these terrifying stone statues “the deadliest, most powerful, most malevolent life-form ever produced”. They strike when you blink or look away, just as an infected TV springs into life when you think you’ve turned it off.
So the CIA are Doctor Who fans?
Possibly. Or perhaps their British counterparts named the software. They both insist that codenames are chosen randomly by computers, which raises the intriguing possibility that their machines have developed a fondness for classic British sci-fi. It’s certainly better than naming software after small, blue Belgians.
What are you talking about?
Dreamy Smurf, Tracker Smurf and Nosey Smurf. These are what British and American spies called software they used to spy on iphones and Android phones, according to documents leaked by whistleblower Edward Snowden in 2014.
Are they still doing that?
Yes, says Wikileaks. This latest release – called ‘Vault 7’ – contains 8,761 files that expose the tools spies used between 2013 and 2016 to break into phones and TVS.
What about PCS?
Oh yes, those too. Wikileaks says that the CIA “runs a very substantial effort to infect and control Microsoft Windows users”. In fact, Wikileaks claims that spies use tools to hack all web-connected devices, including routers, webcams and even cars.
Are the documents authentic?
That’s the key question. The CIA refused to comment, but former Pentagon officials have said that the documents look real, and accuse Russia of leaking them.
So how worried should I be?
Not very. As even Wikileaks acknowledges, these tools allow the CIA and MI5 to spy on suspicious individuals only, not to engage in mass surveillance. Unless you’re known to the authorities, there’s more chance of a Dalek chasing you upstairs than spies recording you through your TV.
Also, many of the CIA’S alleged methods involve a spy infecting computers in person, giving them access to systems not connected to the internet. In one “decoy” technique spies steal sensitive files by inserting a USB stick containing malware. It disguises the theft by showing what look like legitimate videos and slides, leaving victims unaware.
OK, but should I be angry about these tactics?
That depends where you sit on the security-privacy debate. The CIA said that it needs to use “innovative, cutting-edge” techniques to collect intelligence. British spies would doubtless agree. But privacy campaigners aren’t happy. In a blog post ( www.snipca.com/23747) the Open Rights Group warned that the security holes exploited by spies will now be used by criminals and state-sponsored hackers in other countries. It called for more regulation to control this “secretive and unaccountable system of device hacking”.