A recently declassified government document from 2010 says that WikiLeaks’ publishing classified diplomatic cables helped foreign intelligence services that were engaged in cyber-espionage against the United States.
The National Security Archive released the document, a situational awareness report from U.S. Cyber Command dated December 2010, to TechCrunch after receiving it via a Freedom of Information request. It shows that the military's cyber unit worried that the diplomatic cables leaked by former U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning would reveal ongoing cyber operations, hindering their efforts. The document was written a few days after The New York Times and others published redacted versions of the cables, and is highly-redacted itself.
Michael Martelle, a research fellow at the organization’s Cyber Vault Project, told TechCrunch that the publication of those cables by WikiLeaks provided a “period of heightened advantage” to foreign adversaries.
The document notes that Cyber Command “expects that other Foreign Intelligence Services (FIS) actives in CNO [Computer Network Operations] against the U.S. will use this information” to help their efforts, though the exact details are redacted. The assessment says that the “cables clearly state that U.S. Government entities have knowledge of specific adversary TTPs, [Tactics, Techniques and Procedures] including malware, toolsets, IP addresses, and domains used in intrusion activity.”
A spokesperson for U.S. Cyber Command declined to comment to TechCrunch, and WikiLeaks did not respond to a request for comment. The website’s founder, Julian Assange, is currently in detention awaiting extradition to the U.S. on over a dozen charges related to leaks.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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