Apple, Samsung and Microsoft respond to WikiLeaks CIA claims

Several major tech firms have released statements following WikiLeaks’ claim that CIA malware had compromised their products. Apple, Samsung and Microsoft were three of the tech companies alleged to have been compromised by the US civilian foreign intelligence service.

Apple provided the most the most thorough statement of the trio, claiming to have already patched many of the vulnerabilities identified by WikiLeaks in the latest iOS update.

“The technology built into today’s iPhone represents the best data security available to consumers, and we’re constantly working to keep it that way,” it said. “Our products and software are designed to quickly get security updates into the hands of our customers, with nearly 80 per cent of users running the latest version of our operating system.

“While our initial analysis indicates many of the leaked today were already patched in the latest iOS, we will continue work to rapidly address any identified vulnerabilities. We always urge customers to download the latest iOS to make sure they have the most recent security updates.”

On the other hand, Samsung and Microsoft seemed a bit lost for words in their responses to the claims that the CIA had developed ways to listen in through the microphones on their devices.

Samsung’s statement read: “Protecting consumers’ privacy and the security of our devices is a top priority at Samsung. We are aware of the report in question and are urgently looking into the matter.”

While Microsoft simply said: “We are aware of the report and are looking into it.”

‘Year Zero’, as this set of leaked documents and files has been dubbed, also revealed that specific CIA malware is able ‘to penetrate, infest and control’ Android devices. Despite this, Google has thus far declined to comment.