14 DAY TRIAL // WikiLeaks will work with Google, Apple and other tech companies to fix flaws that the CIA has taken advantage of to hack phones, computers, and other devices. The announcement was made by Julian Assange and comes as a reaction to the heavy criticism brought by the public against WikiLeaks for exposing the data trove for shock value without taking the extra step to help secure the services used by billions of people.
Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, said during an online news conference that they would work with Apple, Google and all other technology companies to fix all issues, topping the list of vulnerabilities the companies discovered themselves among the available files.
During the same news conference, Assange accused the CIA of withholding information about the vulnerabilities the agency was exploiting in American technology, especially after it realized that documents describing the flaws had been leaked weeks ago.
A rush to patch things up
Google, Apple, and the Linux Foundation are just some of the companies that have already stepped forward and said they fixed "most" of the vulnerabilities the WikiLeaks documents talked about.
"There's a limited ability to try and produce security fixes for iPhones, for Samsung TVs, for Android phones produced by Google, for Microsoft, for Linux, because the exact technical details are not known. We have decided to work with them to give them some exclusive access to the additional technical details we have, so that fixes can be developed and pushed out so people can be secured," Assange said.
This is a bit of a weird role to see Assange in, given his past statements - a defender of tech companies.
"Why has the Central Intelligence Agency not acted with speed to come together with Apple, Microsoft, and other manufacturers to defend us all from its own weapons systems," Assange added.
For its part, the CIA published a full response in which it mostly attacks Assange and his credibility. It then defends its general purpose - to gather intelligence by any means necessary, adding that any spying that it performs does not involve Americans. As for whether the files are real or not, it cannot comment on the matter.