US Intelligence Agencies Should 'Responsibly Disclose' Stockpiled Cyber Vulnerabilities, ITIF Says

President Donald Trump should order the CIA and other U.S. intelligence agencies to “responsibly disclose” any cyber vulnerabilities they've identified in U.S. devices and software, said Information Technology and Innovation Foundation Vice President Daniel Castro in a Monday blog post. It responded to WikiLeaks’ posting last week of more than 8,700 documents purporting to originate from the CIA’s Center for Cyber Intelligence, including some unverified files about how the agency could use smart TVs and other devices as surveillance tools (see 1703070047). The documents “validate concerns that U.S. spy agencies are stockpiling cybersecurity vulnerabilities,” Castro said. “The intelligence community uses undisclosed vulnerabilities to develop tools that can penetrate the computer systems and networks of its foreign targets. Unfortunately, since everyone uses the same technology in today’s global economy, each of these vulnerabilities also represents a threat to American businesses and individuals.” Full disclosure of stockpiled vulnerabilities will help the private sector patch “security holes,” Castro said.