Wikileaks Next Series: Vault 7

[Peter Lemkin]

Dark Matter[FONT=&amp]
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[FONT=&amp]Today, March 23rd 2017, WikiLeaks releases Vault 7 "Dark Matter", which contains documentation for several CIA projects that infect Apple Mac firmware (meaning the infection persists even if the operating system is re-installed) developed by the CIA's Embedded Development Branch (EDB). These documents explain the techniques used by CIA to gain 'persistence' on Apple Mac devices, including Macs and iPhones and demonstrate their use of EFI/UEFI and firmware malware.

Among others, these documents reveal the "Sonic Screwdriver" project which, as explained by the CIA, is a "mechanism for executing code on peripheral devices while a Mac laptop or desktop is booting" allowing an attacker to boot its attack software for example from a USB stick "even when a firmware password is enabled". The CIA's "Sonic Screwdriver" infector is stored on the modified firmware of an Apple Thunderbolt-to-Ethernet adapter.

"DarkSeaSkies" is "an implant that persists in the EFI firmware of an Apple MacBook Air computer" and consists of "DarkMatter", "SeaPea" and "NightSkies", respectively EFI, kernel-space and user-space implants.

Documents on the "Triton" MacOSX malware, its infector "Dark Mallet" and its EFI-persistent version "DerStarke" are also included in this release. While the DerStarke1.4 manual released today dates to 2013, other Vault 7 documents show that as of 2016 the CIA continues to rely on and update these systems and is working on the production of DerStarke2.0.

Also included in this release is the manual for the CIA's "NightSkies 1.2" a "beacon/loader/implant tool" for the Apple iPhone. Noteworthy is that NightSkies had reached 1.2 by 2008, and is expressly designed to be physically installed onto factory fresh iPhones. i.e the CIA has been infecting the iPhone supply chain of its targets since at least 2008.

While CIA assets are sometimes used to physically infect systems in the custody of a target it is likely that many CIA physical access attacks have infected the targeted organization's supply chain including by interdicting mail orders and other shipments (opening, infecting, and resending) leaving the United States or otherwise.
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Lovely stuff. One of the many things to think about is if you are a likely target never order a computer or major computer part to be delivered - as they can infect it en route. I think, however, not mentioned, they have ways to infect all or most of the produced items and then use them to spy on their targets of choice. While CIA likely has more targeted targets than NSA, who vacuums up everyone and everything, both likely use the same general techniques. Anyone not a target at time X can become one at time Y, so best to implant a way to get into the system from the get go. As most, if not all, iphones and Mac computers are made in China [as are most other smartphones and many computers] if they are intercepting them during shipping, this could be anywhere from factory to new owners door delivery. It is known that the USPS has agreements with CIA and other intel agencies; no doubt major carriers such as DHL, UPS et al. do also - knowingly or not to most in those companies. If they are infecting all phones, it would make sense to do so in the factory or at some distributor in China or wherever they are made.