Fearing hackers, Russia’s top diplomat leaves phone at home

MOSCOW, Russia – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday, March 9, he did not bring his smartphone to talks on “sensitive issues” to avoid being hacked, days after WikiLeaks exposed a CIA hacking program.

“I myself try not to bring any phones to talks regarding sensitive issues,” Lavrov said at a press conference with his German counterpart, Sigmar Gabriel, in Moscow.  

“At least I seem to have managed not to get into any unpleasant situations for now.”

Lavrov added jokingly that in addition to smartphones, he had heard that the CIA was capable of penetrating “refrigerators too.”

On Tuesday, WikiLeaks published nearly 9,000 documents it said were part of a huge trove leaked from the CIA, describing it as the largest-ever publication of secret intelligence materials.

WikiLeaks claimed that the CIA documents, hacking tools, and code representing “the majority of its hacking arsenal” had been leaked within the cybersecurity community. 

The documents show that the CIA has produced more than 1,000 malware systems – viruses, trojans and other software that can infiltrate and take control of personal electronics, WikiLeaks said.

The CIA on Wednesday accused WikiLeaks of helping US rivals and jeopardizing Americans’ security.  – Rappler.com