A massive cyber attack wave is coming. What you need to know about the Vault 7 Data Leak

On March 7th, Wiki Leaks published a new leak titled "Vault 7: CIA Hacking Tools Revealed" which throws the CIA's covert hacking abilities into public view.

This is a huge embarrassment for the agency, puts the US at a significant disadvantage against it's adversaries and opens up a host of ethics and non proliferation questions.

Undetectable viruses, undetectable exploits for Windows, iOS and Android, techniques for bypassing anti virus, the list goes on.

They even came up with a way to put the Samsung F8000 TV into a fake sleep mode where the owner thinks the TV is off but it's actually on and recording conversations.

As someone who works in the cyber security field I think we need to ask ourselves some very basic questions.

Are We Actually Surprised By This Leak?

Personally, nothing in this leak is a surprise. As our lives go digital, the intelligence agencies need to keep up with how criminals or terrorists use smart phones and web services to stay ahead.

We have to assume that governments all over the world either have or are pursuing this technology.

In the past intelligence agencies focused on intercepting radio communications from the air and tapping phone lines. We've just moved on to the next level, this is the new normal.

What Happens Now?

As journalists dig through the leaked documents for information, I'm sure a number of debates will arise on:

1) Whether the development of so many cyber weapons was right.

2) Whether the US should eventually disclose the bugs found to the companies whose software they hacked.

3) Whether the use of these cyber weapons was proportionate and lawful.

While these debates rage, companies and individuals need to deal with the fallout.

You can bet that other countries and more worryingly, criminal groups will get their hands on these tools and unleash a wave of attacks.

What Can You Do Right Now?

The first thing any person or company can do is download and install any operating system, application, or firmware updates that get released as soon as possible.

There will no doubt be a huge number of fixes that get released in the coming weeks and months. As soon as these updates are available, get them installed and reboot your device for the changes to take affect.

For the owners of the Samsung F8000, here's how to apply updates to your TV.

1) Press the Menu button on your remote.

2) Scroll down and select Support.

3) Select Software Update.

4) If there is firmware available, select Yes. The TV will download and install it.

This is definitely a story to watch and see how the bad guys respond.