Wikileaks offers tech firms CIA files

Technology firms will get "exclusive access" to details of the CIA's cyber-warfare programme, Wikileaks said on Thursday.

According to BBC, the anti-secrecy website has published thousands of the US spy agency's secret documents, including what it says are the CIA's hacking tools.

Founder Julian Assange said that, after some thought, he had decided to give the tech community further leaks first.

"Once the material is effectively disarmed, we will publish additional details," Assange was quoted as saying.

US federal agencies have launched a criminal investigation into the release of the documents.

In response to the revelations, CIA spokeswoman Heather Fritz Horniak told the BBC: "As we've said previously, Julian Assange is not exactly a bastion of truth and integrity.

"Despite the efforts of Assange and his ilk, CIA continues to aggressively collect foreign intelligence overseas to protect America from terrorists, hostile nation states and other adversaries," Horniak added.

In the first tranche of leaks, Wikileaks alleged that the CIA had developed "a giant arsenal" of malware to attack "all the systems that average people use".

Tech firms, including Google and Apple, have said that they are developing counter-measures to combat any malware that the CIA may have developed.

--IANS

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