Sentenced, this ex-CIA engineer shared documents and hacking tools with WikiLeaks


Louise Jean

July 19, 2022 at 12:50 p.m.

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Former CIA employee Joshua Schulte has been convicted for providing confidential information to WikiLeaks.

The case is today the largest leak of classified documents from the CIA. Schulte has been kept in prison since 2018.

An ex-CIA employee steals classified documents… and sends them to WikiLeaks

While working as an engineer at the CIA, Schulte allegedly decided to steal the files of a confidential US agency program called Confluence. He then allegedly provided these documents to WikiLeaks, which began publishing them in March 2017 in a series called Vault 7. The documents then show how the CIA can hack and compromise cars, smart TVs, smartphones or even web browsers in order to monitor their users.

Schulte had himself been involved in the development of hacking tools, including systems that stole CIA targets’ information from their electronic devices. New York City police searched his apartment several times in 2017 to recover evidence of his involvement in the WikiLeaks leaks. In his smartphone, the police notably found the passwords which allowed access to his computer protected by three layers of encryption.

Schulte sentenced on nine of the charges

As a result of these investigations, Schulte was charged with 15 counts, including unlawful transmission of classified documents and theft of government property. He was also prosecuted for his illegal activity while in prison, from where he communicated clandestinely with contraband telephones.

In addition, investigating police said they found mass child pornography on Schulte’s devices. The man has always pleaded not guilty to all charges against him. During the second trial, which has just ended, he decided to represent himself. He then defended himself by arguing that he had no reason to leak this information, and that hundreds of people also had access to these documents at the CIA and could be behind this affair.

Prosecutors have argued that Schulte was seeking revenge on his work environment and colleagues at the CIA, whom he allegedly found disrespectful and unpleasant. The ex-engineer argues that he serves as a scapegoat for the US government, which failed to protect confidential data.

Source : The Verge



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