BG Staff
With Wikileaks unleashing a treasure trove of data to the public, it seems to be exposing all the information about the CIA’s arsenal of hacking tools. The recently published documents by WikiLeaks have made people’s skin crawl underneath. It has revealed how the Central Intelligence Agency is using a wide variety of technological product to keep a check on common people.
According to the WikiLeaks information, about every major category of consumer electronics is being used for this purpose ranging from iPhones, Android devices, WiFi routers, and even Samsung televisions. CIA designed these tools in order to spy on the terrorist activities in the interest of national security but the hacking tools have actually ended up in the hands of a wide range of individuals.
For people who are frustrated with this situation, there are few tips that can keep them protected from their cell-phones, internet routers, and televisions.
Being an Android user:
The collection of the documents published by WikiLeaks shows that Android Devices being hacked mostly run on the version of Android 4.0. Therefore one thing that can keep them away from being hacked is to keep their applications and phones updated all the time. But getting new software might not be possible for the users of the older handset to do so. In that case, it’s time to purchase a new phone such as Google Pixel which runs on the latest software for Android.
Being iPhone users:
iPhone users remain much up-to-date as compared to the Android users. The WikiLeaks published documents revealed that there is a minority of iPhone users that have the version of iOS up to 8.2 that are being hacked. Around 79% of the Apple users are running on iOS 10. There are only 5% of the users who are using a version older than iOS 9. For worried users, the advice is same as to Android users i.e. both iPhone and iPad users should make sure to be using the latest operating system iOS 10.
Being a Samsung TV user:
The situation is unclear regarding the Samsung television users. Samsung Company has not commented on the vulnerabilities involved but has assured to update its software with latest security enhancements. Samsung’s smart TV belongs to a proliferating category of the internet of things devices and raises security concerns because the manufacturers of these televisions hold no stronger background in information security. For such devices, a piece of advice cannot be of much help because the Wheeping Angle Hack continuous to be working even when apparently the television is turned off.
In case of WiFi Router:
The router offered by Huawei, ZTE, and Mercury are described as being injected with malware. The general advice for keeping a check on router involves getting the latest security enhancements depending on the router owned. Mobile apps can be more beneficial for downloading the latest updates automatically.
Being computer user:
Personal computers have always remained susceptible to attacks throughout history but the recent WikiLeaks publication has confirmed attacks on Windows, Linux, and Apple computers. The tip for remaining on the safe side is pretty obvious, keep on updating your operating system and using antivirus software.
