WikiLeaks has released new documents claimed to describe hacking tools used by the Central Intelligence Agency over the past decade to infect Apple devices. The new documents represent a “very considerable effort” to infect Macs and iPhones, including a method for installing iPhone-monitoring software on “factory fresh phones” since 2008, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said during an online press conference.
The fresh revelations describe sinister-sounding software such as “DarkMatter” and “Sonic Screwdriver” – both said to be hard to detect and able to remain on a Mac even after the hard drive is erased.
Apple however said its initial analysis found the purported Mac vulnerabilities were fixed in all Macs launched after 2013, and that the purported iPhone vulnerability applied only to the 3G model, which is said to have been fixed with the release of the iPhone 3GS in 2009.