IncreaseThe CIA has been planting surveillance software in Apple devices for years
Posted: Thu Feb 13, 2025 6:03 am
The CIA installed surveillance programs that were not removed even after reinstalling the OS
Sergey Stelmakh | 03/28/2017
The CIA has been planting surveillance software in Apple devices for years
The WikiLeaks website has published a new batch of secret CIA documents, dubbed "Dark Matter." The leak concerns a number of programs for cyber espionage and hacking iPhones and Mac computers. The documents prove that the CIA has been constantly hacking the security of Apple devices in various ways for a long time. The list of hacked ones includes absolutely all models of MacBook Pro and MacBook Air laptops up until the end of 2013, the latest model is the MacBook Pro 11.2 (15" Retina). Surely the CIA has similar hacking tools for all subsequent models.
In particular, it is reported about such a tool as uganda whatsapp data Screwdriver, a mechanism designed to execute code on a peripheral device while the Mac is booting. With its help, an attacker can launch an attack, for example, from a USB flash drive, even if a firmware password is required. The documents say that the CIA used modified Thunderbolt-to-Ethernet adapters to store malicious code. Screwdriver allows you to inject tracking programs into Apple devices that cannot be removed even by reinstalling the operating system.
Another tool, DarkSeaSkies, also works via a regular USB drive and downloads a Trojan called Triton, which transmits network data packets to remote servers. Der Starke is dangerous because it is not present on the hard drive, so it is difficult to find. When it sends user data to the CIA, it disguises it as some harmless download - for example, photos on Facebook. It can work in tandem with Sonic Screwdriver. However, DerStarke only works on older MacBooks without the Secure Boot feature. The CIA has had a lot of time to study and crack the new protection, as evidenced by the existence of the next version of DerStarke - 2.0.
Sergey Stelmakh | 03/28/2017
The CIA has been planting surveillance software in Apple devices for years
The WikiLeaks website has published a new batch of secret CIA documents, dubbed "Dark Matter." The leak concerns a number of programs for cyber espionage and hacking iPhones and Mac computers. The documents prove that the CIA has been constantly hacking the security of Apple devices in various ways for a long time. The list of hacked ones includes absolutely all models of MacBook Pro and MacBook Air laptops up until the end of 2013, the latest model is the MacBook Pro 11.2 (15" Retina). Surely the CIA has similar hacking tools for all subsequent models.
In particular, it is reported about such a tool as uganda whatsapp data Screwdriver, a mechanism designed to execute code on a peripheral device while the Mac is booting. With its help, an attacker can launch an attack, for example, from a USB flash drive, even if a firmware password is required. The documents say that the CIA used modified Thunderbolt-to-Ethernet adapters to store malicious code. Screwdriver allows you to inject tracking programs into Apple devices that cannot be removed even by reinstalling the operating system.
Another tool, DarkSeaSkies, also works via a regular USB drive and downloads a Trojan called Triton, which transmits network data packets to remote servers. Der Starke is dangerous because it is not present on the hard drive, so it is difficult to find. When it sends user data to the CIA, it disguises it as some harmless download - for example, photos on Facebook. It can work in tandem with Sonic Screwdriver. However, DerStarke only works on older MacBooks without the Secure Boot feature. The CIA has had a lot of time to study and crack the new protection, as evidenced by the existence of the next version of DerStarke - 2.0.