- Apr 21, 2016
- 4,374
WikiLeaks has recently revealed another set of hacking tools that have been used by the CIA to break into systems, this time not powered by Windows, but by Linux and Mac OS X.
The dump indicates that CIA’s hacking tools were part of a project called “Imperial” and which consisted of 3 different solutions that were supposed to help the agency infiltrate into non-Windows computers and either get control of the devices in the background or steal information without users noticing it.
Achilles, SeaPea, and Aeris
First and foremost, it was Achilles, a dedicated solution that the CIA used to integrate Trojan apps into legitimate DMG files that Apple customers used to install apps on their computers.
The binding tool was created with Bash, WikiLeaks explains, and was capable of removing all traces once the Trojan was deployed on the system, leaving the compromised DMG file entirely clean. This means that antivirus solutions that were installed after the system was compromised could not detect anything wrong with the DMG file, which made it pretty impossible to determine how the system was infected.
According to the leaked documents, Achilles was created by the CIA in 2011 and was specifically aimed at Apple Mac OS X Snow Leopard (version 10.6).
Read more: WikiLeaks Reveals “Imperial” Hacking Tools Used by the CIA Against Linux and Mac
The dump indicates that CIA’s hacking tools were part of a project called “Imperial” and which consisted of 3 different solutions that were supposed to help the agency infiltrate into non-Windows computers and either get control of the devices in the background or steal information without users noticing it.
Achilles, SeaPea, and Aeris
First and foremost, it was Achilles, a dedicated solution that the CIA used to integrate Trojan apps into legitimate DMG files that Apple customers used to install apps on their computers.
The binding tool was created with Bash, WikiLeaks explains, and was capable of removing all traces once the Trojan was deployed on the system, leaving the compromised DMG file entirely clean. This means that antivirus solutions that were installed after the system was compromised could not detect anything wrong with the DMG file, which made it pretty impossible to determine how the system was infected.
According to the leaked documents, Achilles was created by the CIA in 2011 and was specifically aimed at Apple Mac OS X Snow Leopard (version 10.6).
Read more: WikiLeaks Reveals “Imperial” Hacking Tools Used by the CIA Against Linux and Mac
