According to the popular and well-known leaks portal WikiLeaks, the tool, called ‘CouchPotato’, uses the software FFmpeg and allows to capture both transmissions converted into video files (AVI) and still images (JPG) obtained from sequences. The ‘CouchPotato’ user manual filtered by the portal recommends, among other things, to establish a deadline for the tool as a “highly recommended option” when intercepting videos. The popular and well-known leaks portal, of course, WikiLeaks has published since March 7 a series of thousands of documents called ‘Vault 7’ that details the CIA’s activities to carry out mass surveillance through its top secret electronic devices as well as cyber wars. The operation of CouchPotato is very simple. This tool works on the command line, from a terminal, and only needs the IP of the video source in RTSP or H.264 format to be made with it and the location of the path where the video will be stored on the computer.
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) August 10, 2017 If video transmission is public, hackers can get hold of it without any difficulty. However, if the source has some type of protection (for example, password) or is inside a private network, then you will have to execute a script, with its corresponding exploit (which also has the CIA in its possession) to bypass such security. CouchPotato is able to save all captured video in AVI format or in JPG captures to save space as we told earlier. In addition, the tool is capable of detecting large changes between frames, which could be used, for example, as a motion detector. In addition to CouchPotato, since last March have been released a large number of tools and exploits that the CIA used to expose the safety of users around the world. Among others, the most important Vault 7 leaks that have been released thanks to WikiLeaks and here they are:-
Weeping Angel – A tool that allows hacking any Samsung TV. Athena – A spyware that allows the CIA to remotely access any PC in the world. Grasshopper – A malware compiler for Windows. Archimedes – A dangerous tool for MITM attacks. Pandemic – A tool to replace legitimate files with malware. ELSA – Malware to geographically locate Windows users. OutlawCountry – Tools to hack Linux. BothanSpy and Gyrfalcon – Malware to steal remote SSH access. Dumbo – Tool to deactivate cameras and microphones remotely.
These leaks are often dangerous since, often with the documentation, the tool is filtered as such, which allows any user to use it. However, it is also a good thing for security and that every time something is filtered, major developers like Microsoft or Apple work to solve the exploits of the tools and make their operating systems safe again against security flaws Hidden in the network. So, what do you think about this? Simply share your views and thoughts in the comment section below.
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