The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has released a statement in response to the information dumps made by the WikiLeaks about the advanced tools that CIA posses, and stated that they did not conduct any electronic survillance on Americans.
The the FBI and CIA launched an investigation in the Vault 7 dump and some unnamed U.S. officials said Reuters that a CIA contractor is the most possible reason for this data breach.
During their first press release, Wikileaks said the files are originating from the CIA’s Center for Cyber Intelligence or simply CCI which is in Langley, virginia and has been circulating among the former government contractors and hackers. It is most likely that one of them has provided the information to the Wikileaks.
The authenticit of the leaked documents is something that CIA refused to comment on and also about the further investigation about this incident. But, the agency pointed out that their mission is to “aggressively collect” the foreign intelligence from overseas sources in an effort to protect the America from threats like terrorists and hostile nation states.
“It is the job of CIA to be innovative, cutting-edge, and first line of defence in protecting this country from enemies abroad,” said the CIA in its statement.
The nature of tools suggests that all of them are designed ot operate on specific operations rather that mass surveillance and the CIA pointed out that it is legally prohibited from spying on individuals in United States. The agency said their activities “are subject to rigorous oversight to ensure that they comply fully with U.S. law and the Constitution.”
The organisation has expressed concern about the impact of the Vault 7 dump on its operations.
“The American public should be deeply troubled by any Wikileaks disclosure designed to damage the Intelligence Community’s ability to protect America against terrorists and other adversaries. Such disclosures not only jeopardise U.S. personnel and operations but also equip our adversaries with tools and information to do us harm,” the agency said.