Google says it’s already fixed many exploits from WikiLeaks’ CIA document dump

Google has fixed many of the vulnerabilities in its Chrome and Android platforms identified in yesterday’s WikiLeaks dump of CIA documents, the company said today. In a statement provided to Recode by Heather Adkins —Google’s Director of Information Security and Privacy — Google said that it was “confident that security updates and protections in both Chrome and Android already shield users from many of these alleged vulnerabilities,” that its analysis of remaining security flaws was ongoing, and that it would “implement any further necessary protections.”

Adkins’ statement came a day after WikiLeaks released 8,761 documents and files it said that it obtained from the CIA’s Center for Cyber Intelligence. Included in the files were a number of apparent exploits for Google’s platforms, as well as methods for accessing iOS devices, and Samsung Smart TVs. Apple released its own statement a short time after the documents appeared online with a similar message to Google’s — the company said it had patched out a number of vulnerabilities already and was working on fixes for remaining problems.

Both Google and Apple said that “many” of the flaws had been patched, but both companies stopped short of specifying exactly how many exploits had been removed, and how many still remained in Android, Chrome, and iOS. Those flaws could — the supposed CIA documents claim — be used for a range of nefarious purposes, including monitoring incoming and outgoing communications, tracking users, and even taking control of their devices.