WikiLeaks CIA files: Are they real and are they a risk?

FILE - This Feb. 19, 2014, file photo, shows WhatsApp and Facebook app icons on a smartphone in New York. So, you use messaging apps like WhatsApp or Signal or have smart TVs and PCs. Should you worry that the CIA is listening to your conversations? The short answer is no. The long answer is maybe, but it’s unlikely. Revelations by WikiLeaks describing secret CIA hacking tools the government uses to break into computers, mobile phones and even smart TVs, if true, could certainly have real-life implications for anyone who uses internet-connected technology.(AP Photo/Patrick Sison, File) FILE - This Feb. 19, 2014, file photo, shows WhatsApp and Facebook app icons on a smartphone in New York. So, you use messaging apps like WhatsApp or Signal or have smart TVs and PCs. Should you worry that the CIA is listening to your conversations? The short answer is no. The long answer is maybe, but it’s unlikely. Revelations by WikiLeaks describing secret CIA hacking tools the government uses to break into computers, mobile phones and even smart TVs, if true, could certainly have real-life implications for anyone who uses internet-connected technology.(AP Photo/Patrick Sison, File)

By Associated Press March 8, 2017 4 min read

WASHINGTON (AP) – WikiLeaks has published thousands of documents that the anti-secrecy organization said were classified files revealing scores of secrets about CIA hacking tools used to break into targeted computers, cellphones and even smart TVs.

The CIA and the Trump administration declined to comment on the authenticity of the files Tuesday, but prior WikiLeaks releases divulged government secrets maintained by the State Department, Pentagon and other agencies that have since been acknowledged as genuine. In another nod to their authenticity, the chairman of the House intelligence committee, Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., said he was very concerned about the release and has sought more information about it.

The hacking tools appeared to exploit vulnerabilities in popular operating systems for desktop and laptop computers developed by Microsoft. They also targeted devices that included Apple’s iPhones and iPads, Google’s Android cellphones, Cisco routers and Samsung Smart TVs.

Some of the technology firms said they were evaluating the newly released documents.

Some questions and answers about the latest WikiLeaks dump and its fallout: