The FBI has reportedly launched an investigation in a massive alleged CIA leak. Picture: Saul Loeb/AFP

The release of thousands of pages of material has been highly embarrassing for America’s top security agencies, which are now scrambling to determine their accuracy and the extent of the damage.

The documents reveal how US spies can remotely hack and control smartphones, computers, TVs and even vehicles.

The CIA released a statement saying it had no comment on the authenticity of the documents but added its mission was to “aggressively collect” foreign intelligence to protect America from terrorists and other hostile sources.

“It is CIA’s job to be innovative, cutting-edge, and the first line of defence in protecting this country from enemies abroad. America deserves nothing less,” a statement said.

“It is also important to note that CIA is legally prohibited from conducting electronic surveillance targeting individuals here at home, including our fellow Americans, and CIA does not do so.

“CIA’s activities are subject to rigorous oversight to ensure that they comply fully with US law and the Constitution.”

The FBI has now reportedly launched a full investigation into who stole the documents, codenamed “Vault 7”, according to ABC News in the US.

Both US Senate and US House of Representatives intelligence committees are also expected to open inquiries.

In a press conference on Thursday, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said the material came from an isolated, top secret security network situated inside the CIA’s Centre for Cyber Intelligence.

The centre is located in Virginia, but Mr Assange noted that “importantly” there was also a branch hidden inside the Frankfurt consulate in Germany.

As part of its “Vault 7” release, WikiLeaks revealed the US consulate in Frankfurt was acting as a CIA hacker base and was basically a covert base for its hackers covering Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

WikiLeaks said it got possession of the CIA’s hacking tools after they were passed around among former US government hackers and contractors in an unauthorised way, and one of them passed some of the code on to the whistleblower site.

One former intelligence official told The Washington Post that if that claim was accurate, “there’s going to be another major mole hunt ... If this is all correct, it’s a big deal.’’

Two officials have told Reuters they believe the documents were authentic.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Thursday accused the CIA of “devastating incompetence” for failing to protect its hacking secrets and said he would work with tech companies to develop fixes for them.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange speaks in this video made available on Thursday. Picture: WikiLeaks via APSource:AP

“This is a historic act of devastating incompetence, to have created such an arsenal and then stored it all in one place,” Mr Assange said.

“It is impossible to keep effective control of cyber weapons ... If you build them, eventually you will lose them.”

Mr Assange was speaking in a press conference streamed live from Ecuador’s embassy in London, where he has been living as a fugitive from justice since 2012.

He said his anti-secrecy website had “a lot more information” about the CIA’s hacking operation but would hold off on publishing it until WikiLeaks had spoken to tech manufacturers.

“We have decided to work with them to give them some exclusive access to the additional technical details we have so fixes can be developed and then pushed out.

“Once this material is effectively disarmed by us we will publish additional details about what has been occurring,” he added.

Mr Assange said that spies, former intelligence officials and contractors had been sharing the cyberespionage tools behind the CIA’s back — potentially to feed the for-profit market in spy software.

“WikiLeaks discovered the material as a result of it being passed around a number of different members of the US intelligence community, out of control, in an unauthorised fashion,” Mr Assange said.

“It looks like not only is that material being spread around contractors and former American computer hackers for hire, but now may be in the black market.”

Leaks have been traced back to contractors in recent cases, including in the case of Edward Snowden, and Harold Thomas Martin, who were both employed by consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton while working for the National Security Agency.

One of the officials with knowledge of the investigation said companies that were the contractors for the CIA have been checking to see which of their employees had access to the material, and then going over computer logs, emails and other communications to identify who may be responsible.

The leak follows damaging revelations from Mr Snowden and Army private Chelsea Manning, which led to US agencies tightening their security procedures. But cracks keep appearing and the WikiLeaks release is being touted as the largest ever publication of secret intelligence materials.

US Senator Dianne Feinstein said the government needed to stop the breaches.

“I think we really need to take a look at the contractor portion of the employee workforce, because you have to be loyal to America to work for an intelligence agency, otherwise don’t do it,” the Democrat said.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer said President Donald Trump had “grave concern” about the release of classified material and believes the systems at the CIA are outdated.

WikiLeaks said the CIA had lost control of the majority of its hacking arsenal including malware, viruses, trojans, weaponised “zero day” exploits, malware remote control systems and associated documentation.

“This extraordinary collection, which amounts to more than several hundred million lines of code, gives its possessor the entire hacking capacity of the CIA,” WikiLeaks said in a statement.

— with AP and AFP