Google says most security holes described in CIA documents don't pose a threat to users

Yesterday, Wikileaks dumped thousands of CIA documents online, which described a lot of security flaws of Google’s Chrome and Android platforms, Apple’s iOS, as well as Samsung’s Smart TVs. As expected, the online search giant examined the documents very carefully and quickly issued a statement, hoping to calm down its users.

Heather Adkins, Google’s Director of Information Security and Privacy, told ReCode that the company is confident that the security updates and protections in Chrome as well as in Android are protecting users from many of the vulnerabilities described in the documents. Additionally, she mentioned that Google’s analysis is still ongoing and that the company will implement further protections if that will be necessary.

It is great to see that Google reacted quickly and that it is doing everything it can to keep its platforms safe, however, we still don’t know exactly how many exploits had been removed, and how many still remain. These vulnerabilities should be taken very seriously as, according to the CIA documents, can be used for tracking users, viewing their incoming as well as outgoing communications, and even taking control of their devices, which really is a scary thought.

Let’s just hope that Google, as well as all other companies, will quickly remove any vulnerabilities described in the documents that are still present so that their platforms will be a lot safer to use for all of us.