Former CIA Staffer Convicted For Massive Data Breach To WikiLeaks

Topline

A computer programmer who helped the Central Intelligence Agency design some of its most sensitive—and secretive—hacking tools was convicted Wednesday of handing over troves of internal CIA documents to WikiLeaks in the infamous “Vault 7” leak, which prosecutors called “one of the most brazen and damaging acts of espionage in American history.”

A man walks across the seal of the Central Intelligence Agency at the agency’s headquarters in … [+] McLean, Virginia.

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Key Facts

Jurors in a Manhattan federal court convicted 33-year-old Joshua Schulte on all nine counts, including illegal gathering of national defense information and illegal transmission of unlawfully possessed documents, Nicholas Biase—a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York—confirmed to Forbes.

Prosecutors have argued Schulte leaked the documents to Wikileaks in 2017 because he held a grudge against the CIA for failing to take his workplace complaints seriously.

Schulte—who represented himself at trial—reportedly argued there wasn’t enough evidence to prove he leaked the documents, and claimed the CIA was seeking to frame him for the incident even though other staffers had access to the information.

Forbes has reached out to an attorney assisting Schulte for comment.

Crucial Quote

“When Schulte began to harbor resentment toward the CIA, he covertly collected those tools and provided them to WikiLeaks, making some of our most critical intelligence tools known to the public – and therefore, our adversaries,” Damien Williams, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, wrote in a statement. “Today, Schulte has been convicted for one of the most brazen and damaging acts of espionage in American history.”

Surprising Fact

Schulte was previously put on trial two years ago, but the judge declared a mistrial after jurors couldn’t reach a verdict on most of the charges.

What To Watch For

Schulte will also face a separate child pornography trial, after agents said they discovered evidence during a search of his computer. He has pleaded not guilty.

Key Background

Up until 2016, Schulte worked for an elite CIA team whose remit was to make programs that can break into the phones and computers of U.S. adversaries. But according to a June New Yorker article, Schulte grew frustrated with the CIA due to various disputes with his colleagues, who reportedly conducted their spy movie-esque work in an environment comparable to a fraternity, complete with pranks, Nerf gun fights and insulting nicknames. By 2017, scores of information on the secretive cybertools designed by Schulte’s team appeared on Julian Assange’s controversial website WikiLeaks, an embarrassing moment for the CIA that rendered some of its programs “essentially useless,” prosecutors claim.