Hacker Group 'ShadowBrokers' Release NSA Exploits After Auction Fails
The hacker group "ShadowBrokers" releases 61 files said to contain exploit tools used by the National Security Agency, which could fuel a race between attackers—trying to create their own exploit tools—and defenders.
The ShadowBrokers, a hacking group, pledged to shut down their operation and go dark on Jan. 12. But as a final act of spite the group released 61 files from a cache of hundreds of programs allegedly belonging to an exploitation framework used by the U.S. National Security Agency.
The files reportedly include programs for compromising systems and circumventing defensive software, including antivirus programs. The group released the files because many—44, according to security experts—could be detected by at least one antivirus program, the group said in a statement posted online.
