CIA hacked Wi-Fi routers for years, reveals Wikileaks leaked documents

Leaked secret documents posted by WikiLeaks on its website revealed that the United States' Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has been hacking home, office and public wireless routers for years in an effort to carry out clandestine surveillance.

The documents which are part of an ongoing series of leaks released by the WikiLeaks, revealing the work of the CIA's elite hacking unit called as Engineering Development Group, could not be immediately verified.

According to U.S. media reports, among the dozens of files are user and installation guides, manuals, and other "secret"-marked maps and charts that reveal several hacking tool suites, which allow the agency to target specific networks and computers.

As per the leaked documents, home routers from 10 manufacturers, including Linksys, DLink, and Belkin can be turned into covert listening posts that allow the CIA to monitor and manipulate incoming and outgoing traffic and infect connected devices.

One of the tools named as CherryBlossom in the leaked documents allows the CIA to monitor the internet activity of a target, redirect their browser, scan for email addresses and phone numbers, and other software exploits.