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How is this infection propagated? What's the counter to these state sponsored tools (if any)? At least I have Kaspersky antivirus which is implied to be tough to hide from :)
WikiLeaks has published a new batch of the ongoing Vault 7 leak, detailing a spyware framework – which "provides remote beacon and loader capabilities on target computers" – allegedly being used by the CIA that works against every version of Microsoft's Windows operating systems, from Windows XP to Windows 10.
Dubbed Athena/Hera, the spyware has been designed to take full control over the infected Windows PCs remotely, allowing the agency to perform all sorts of things on the target machine, including deleting data or uploading malicious software, and stealing data and send them to CIA server.
The leak, which includes a user manual of Athena, overview of the technology, and demonstration on how to use this spyware, reveals that the program has two implications:
- Primary: Athena for XP to Windows 10
- Secondary: Hera for Windows 8 through Windows 10
According to the whistleblower organization, Athena has the ability to allow the CIA agents to modify its configuration in real time, while the implant is on target "to customize it to an operation."
"Once installed, the malware provides a beaconing capability (including configuration and task handling), the memory loading/unloading of malicious payloads for specific tasks and the delivery and retrieval of files to/from a specified directory on the target system," WikiLeaks claims.The leaked documents suggest that Athena, written in Python programming language, was developed in August 2015, just a month after Microsoft released its Windows 10 operating system.
Interestingly, one document also suggests that the CIA agents have been advised to make sure that the spyware should not get caught by antivirus software programs, especially Kaspersky AV software.
WikiLeaks Reveals 'Athena' CIA Spying Program Targeting All Versions of Windows
How is this infection propagated? What's the counter to these state sponsored tools (if any)? At least I have Kaspersky antivirus which is implied to be tough to hide from :)
Is possible that Microsoft knew all this? Genuinely asking.
This spying business is getting out of control. Big brother is watching (and infecting your PC) you.
Scare stories abound.....how many of our nigh 100.000 members been affected by these particular alleged Vault 7 leaks ?
These CIA projects were designed to maintain and reinforce national security....we should all be grateful that at least some planned terrorist atrocities have been averted.
The CIA would be wasting valuable time and effort spying on me, as I have nothing worth checking on, as I suspect neither do any of our members....
I often wonder how many of these "WikiLeaks" type announcements are actually orchestrated by the security services, History has taught us that you do not always have to have a particular weapon, and the will to use it, your potential enemies just have to think you have it and will use it
Propaganda is a complex thing, and the security services use it as much as actual weapons