John McAfee: ‘CIA Compromised Every Router In America’

CIA spooks have access to your home router, as well as every WiFi system in the United States, warns internet security guru John McAfee. 

Speaking out after WikiLeaks’ released details of CIA hacking tools, John McAfee said he doesn’t trust any WiFi system, as the CIA hacking tools have compromised every router in the country, leaving your information open to hackers and spies.

“I personally never connect to any WiFi system. I use the LTE system on my phone, I know that sounds crazy, but that’s the only way I can be secure. Because every router in America has been compromised,” McAfee said.

Five days prior, WikiLeaks published a fresh batch of documents which showed how the CIA hacks into popular home routers from firms like Linksys, D-Link and Belkin. The CIA program was codenamed CherryBlossom.

The CIA’s aim, according to WikiLeaks, was to intercept internet traffic of targets using a tactic known as man-in-the-middle (MitM). The CIA can hit any router to “monitor, control and manipulate” traffic from phones and tablets connected to the wireless network.

John McAfee said: “It’s not just the CIA, all of these routers, that’s virtually all routers in use in American homes, are accessible to hackers. They can take over control, monitor all of the traffic and can download malware onto any device that is connected to that router.”

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The exploits outlined in the CherryBlossom files (WikiLeaks did not publish source code) can be used to target routers in homes, cafes, hospitals, airports, and private businesses. Many people have argued that this is merely evidence the CIA is doing its job – but McAfee disagrees.

“There’s nothing in the American constitution that gives the government the right to invade the privacy of my home or any place I have the presumption of privacy,” he said.

Widespread router hacker is “devastating” news for Americans’ right to privacy, freedom, and liberty.

“Once the router is compromised and it infects the cellphones, laptops, desktops and tablets then they become compromised,” he continued. “Not only can you watch the data, you can start listening to conversations. You can start watching through the cameras on these devices.”

Cybsersecurity expert and former NSA hacker, Jake Williams, wasn’t surprised by WikiLeaks’ revelations.

Williams said most people are already wide open to attack from far less sophisticated methods than those employed by the CIA. He tweeted: “Most of you have never updated your vulnerable WiFi router firmware. You don’t need to worry about CherryBlossom.”