A new leak has insinuated that the US Central Intelligence Agency previously tried to hack into various Apple products, such as iPhones and MacBooks. The tool that was developed was in use from 2009 to 2013 and would be difficult to still use for today's tech generation. However, it was a strong and successful and could not be removed despite reinstalling the operating system.
According to WikiLeaks, the publication that also leaked the documents, the CIA project infected Apple Mac firmware. This meant that even if users reinstalled the operating system or upgraded the same, it would not make a difference as the tool would still work. The same was reportedly developed by the agency's Embedded Development Branch.
The tools were extensively discussed in the documents and several projects made up the entirety of it. There was one that was dubbed Sonic Screwdriver, which was focused on executing codes that were on peripheral devices the MacBook or iMac were booting up. There was also DarkSeaSkies, which persisted on EFI firmware of the MacBook Air. Meanwhile, iPhones were hacked via NightSkies 1.2, an implant tool.
The CIA has since responded to the leaked documents, as noted by C|Net. The agency reiterated a statement that it made earlier this month by declining to comment whether or not the documents were authentic or not. A few weeks ago, it was also accused of targeting the operating systems of popular phones and PCs, including the Samsung SmartTV that normally required physical access.
"It is CIA's job to be innovative, cutting-edge, and the first line of defense in protecting this country from enemies abroad," the statement said. "America deserves nothing less." Meanwhile, apple has not released its own official statement regarding the incident. However, users are now reportedly safe from the previously mentioned tools and projects, as these would theoretically not work with the current hardware from Apple.
