WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, speaking from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, said of the leak: "There is an extreme proliferation risk in the development of cyber 'weapons'.

"Comparisons can be drawn between the uncontrolled proliferation of such 'weapons', which results from the inability to contain them combined with their high market value, and the global arms trade.

"But the significance of Year Zero goes well beyond the choice between cyberwar and cyber-peace.

"The disclosure is also exceptional from a political, legal and forensic perspective."