Ex-CIA employee pleads not guilty to hacking tool leak

NEW YORK — A former CIA employee pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to charges he stole classified information about the agency’s hacking abilities and gave it to WikiLeaks.

For the CIA, the case against Joshua Adam Schulte has become an embarrassing and damaging episode known as the “Vault 7” leak.

The jailed Schulte was wearing ankle shackles when he appeared in federal court in Manhattan to face espionage charges contained in an indictment unsealed earlier this week.

The indictment alleges that in March and June of 2016, he altered a CIA computer system to grant himself access to the system and allow him to delete records of his activities and deny others access. The stolen information that WikiLeaks ultimately posted last year revealed how the agency would hack Apple and Android cellphones in overseas spying operations.