A federal court in Manhattan, New York City, announced on February 1 the sentencing decision of Joshua Schulte, a former software engineer at the Intelligence Agency. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison for revealing what he called the "most valuable" CIA hacking tool to the wiki. The case is billed as the largest leak in the history of the CIA.
Inside story**
Schulte, 35, worked at the CIA's Cyber Intelligence Center, which conducts cyberattacks against foreign** and terrorist groups, from 2012 to 2016. Schulte not only developed software, but also managed the computer program suite and servers that developed hacking tools.
* The lobby of the headquarters of the Intelligence Bureau.
U.S. Justice Department documents show that Schulte was transferred within the C.I.A. in 2016 due to a discord with his colleagues, and the corresponding management authority was revoked. But before his privileges were revoked, he secretly created an administrator session for one of the servers. On April 20, 2016, Schulte used this secret identity to perform a series of operations on the CIA's internal network, restoring his revoked administrative privileges, hacking into backup systems, copying files from the hacker's arsenal, and then deleting log files, restoring the system to the state it was in before he stole it.
Schulte then used a personal computer at home to send stolen classified CIA documents to WikiLeaks with the help of anonymization tools. Once the transfer is complete, he formats the computer hard drive.
WikiLeaks 2017** The classified documents reveal how the C.I.A. hacked into overseas users' Apple and Android smartphones, or planted bugging programs on online televisions to spy on foreign intelligence. WikiLeaks named these documents "Treasury 7" and "Treasury 8". These hacking arsenals are believed to be a combination of computer viruses, malware, Trojan horses, etc., used to hack into and damage the target's computer and technical systems, and are important for the CIA's cyber warfare.
Schulte was quickly identified as a suspect by law enforcement. In 2018**, he was charged with espionage, obstruction of official duties, possession and transmission of child pornography, and other crimes. A court found him guilty in 2022 of espionage. He was convicted in 2023 on charges of possession and transmission of child pornography.
The losses are huge
Of the 40-year sentences announced by a federal court in Manhattan on Feb. 1, more than six years are for possession and transmission of child pornography, and the remaining 30 years are for espionage and other crimes.
Announcing the verdict, Federal District Judge Jesse Furman said, "We may never know the extent of the damage [caused by this leak], but there is no doubt that the damage is enormous." ”
Assistant federal prosecutor David William Denton has sought a life sentence for Schulte, calling it "the deadliest leak in U.S. history."
According to Furman, Schulte's leak was purely a personal outrage, and he decided to retaliate against the CIA for his complaints about the work environment that were not taken seriously. Schulte did not repent during his detention, still tried to leak more classified materials, and continued to engage in an "information war" with the United States**; He also created hidden documents on his personal computer and continued** child pornography.
Schulte spoke in court, saying the verdict was "not the justice sought by **, but an act of revenge." He said that the prosecution had offered him a plea agreement before the trial of the case, which he refused in exchange for a reduction of his sentence to 10 years on the condition that he waive his appeal.
According to Agence France-Presse, the leak prompted the United States to consider a tough crackdown on WikiLeaks, with Mike Pompeo, then director of the CIA and later US Secretary of State, characterizing WikiLeaks as a "hostile intelligence agency." In 2010, WikiLeaks released a large number of secret documents from the United States, involving the inside story of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, causing a sensation and annoying the United States. Later, the United States filed an espionage case against its founder, Julian Assange, who is now behind bars in the United Kingdom on the run from being wanted by the United States.
The United Kingdom** approved the British extradition of Assange to the United States in June 2022, and WikiLeaks has appealed. Assange could face up to 175 years in prison if extradited to the United States.
*: CCTV News.