Security News

Wikileaks source and former CIA worker Joshua Schulte sentenced to 40 years jail
2024-02-02 03:58

Joshua Schulte, a former CIA employee and software engineer accused of sharing material with WikiLeaks, was sentenced to 40 years in prison by the US Southern District of New York on Thursday. In addition to the prison term, Schulte - who is 35 years old - was sentenced to a lifetime of supervision upon his eventual release.

China labels USA 'Empire of hacking' based on old Wikileaks dumps
2023-05-05 02:32

The National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center of China and local infosec outfit 360 Total Security have conducted an investigation called "The Matrix" that found the CIA conducts offensive cyber ops, and labelled the United States an "Empire of Hacking". The two orgs have been good enough to publish the first part of their work, titled Empire of Hacking: The US Central Intelligence Agency - Part I. The document doesn't offer much new info, leaning heavily on the 2017 infodump from WikiLeaks that detailed the "Vault7" trove of exploits the CIA uses to spy on computers, smart TVs, WhatsApp and just about any other device or service you might use.

Former CIA Engineer Convicted of Leaking 'Vault 7' Hacking Secrets to WikiLeaks
2022-07-15 03:39

Joshua Schulte, a former programmer with the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, has been found guilty of leaking a trove of classified hacking tools and exploits dubbed Vault 7 to WikiLeaks. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement that Schulte was convicted for "One of the most brazen and damaging acts of espionage in American history," adding his actions had a "Devastating effect on our intelligence community by providing critical intelligence to those who wish to do us harm."

UK Judge Refuses US Extradition of WikiLeaks Founder Assange
2021-01-04 14:10

A British judge on Monday rejected the United States' request to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to face espionage charges, saying he was likely to kill himself if held under harsh U.S. prison conditions. In a mixed ruling for Assange and his supporters, District Judge Vanessa Baraitser rejected defense arguments that the 49-year-old Australian faces a politically motivated American prosecution that rides roughshod over free-speech protections.

Julian Assange will NOT be extradited to the US over WikiLeaks hacking and spy charges, rules British judge
2021-01-04 12:43

Accused hacker and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should not be extradited to the US to stand trial, Westminster Magistrates' Court has ruled. District Judge Vanessa Baraitser told Assange this morning that there was no legal obstacle to his being sent to the US, where he faces multiple criminal charges under America's Espionage Act and Computer Fraud and Abuse Act over his WikiLeaks website.

British Court Rejects U.S. Request to Extradite WikiLeaks' Julian Assange
2021-01-04 04:37

A British court has rejected the U.S. government's request to extradite Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to the country on charges pertaining to illegally obtaining and sharing classified material related to national security. In a hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court today, Judge Vanessa Baraitser denied the extradition on the grounds that Assange is a suicide risk and extradition to the U.S. prison system would be oppressive.

Senate: WikiLeaks Knowingly Assisted Russian Influence Effort Before 2016 Election
2020-08-19 10:50

A new report from the Senate intelligence committee on Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election in the United States says WikiLeaks knowingly assisted the Kremlin's influence efforts. The United States has concluded that Russia conducted an extensive influence campaign leading up to the 2016 election, and a significant part of that campaign involved breaking into the computer systems of the Democratic party and Hilary Clinton's campaign and leaking information via the whistleblower website WikiLeaks.

US senators: WikiLeaks 'likely knew it was assisting Russian intelligence influence effort' in 2016 Dem email leak
2020-08-18 21:51

A just-released volume [PDF] from the panel's dossier on Russia's efforts to meddle in that year's White House race pretty much accuses the Assange-run WikiLeaks of actively helping Moscow in its dirty work - by obtaining the internal memos from Russian hackers and spreading them online to derail Hillary Clinton's campaign and help nudge Donald Trump to victory. 'A key role in the Russian influence campaign'.

WikiLeaks Founder Charged With Conspiring With LulzSec & Anonymous Hackers
2020-06-25 05:11

The United States government has filed a superseding indictment against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange accusing him of collaborating with computer hackers, including those affiliated with the infamous LulzSec and "Anonymous" hacking groups. In May 2019, Assange was charged with 18 counts under the old U.S. Espionage Act for unlawfully publishing classified military and diplomatic documents on his popular WikiLeaks website in 2010, which he obtained from former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning.

WikiLeaks Founder Assange Faces New Indictment in US
2020-06-25 03:30

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange sought to recruit hackers at conferences in Europe and Asia who could provide his anti-secrecy website with classified information, and conspired with members of hacking organizations, according to a new Justice Department indictment announced Wednesday. Beyond recruiting hackers at conferences, the indictment accuses Assange of conspiring with members of hacking groups known as LulzSec and Anonymous.