The name's nerd...

To most people, the world of espionage is supposed to be inhabited by hard-bitten types; ruthless assassins who, like James Bond, are licensed to kill.

But the greatest leak in the history of the CIA now suggests that the world's foremost spook agency is less occupied with bumping people off than in discovering cute internet symbols for seals and puppies.

Among almost 9,000 files and documents published by WikiLeaks on Wednesday, was a dictionary of Japanese emoticons (symbols that communicate words or phrases) compiled by a CIA hacker.

The document, entitled Faces of the Internet, includes "baby seal", "happy dog", "angry guy flipping a table" and, bizarrely, "vomits saliva".

One annotation simply reads: "WOOPwoopwowopwoopwoopwoop."

Online speculation about the dictionary's purpose ranges from a repository for codes to enable hackers to break into household devices to the ramblings of a bored operative.

What it does show is that there is a new cadre of spy out there who is more familiar with "nerdy" computer terms than Aston Martins or dry martinis.

Wednesday's leak revealed that the CIA, in collaboration with Britain's Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) and MI5, has a secret unit devoted to hacking phones, televisions and tablets for use as bugging devices.

In a new development China yesterday demanded that the US "stop its cyberattacks" .

According to the documents the US spy agency has produced more than 1,000 malware systems - viruses, trojans, and other software that can infiltrate and take control of targeted electronics.

"We are concerned about the relevant reports. China is opposed to any forms of cyberattacks," a spokesman for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

"We urge the US side to stop its wiretapping, video surveillance, espionage and cyberattacks on China," Geng Shuang said.

WikiLeaks said that, by infecting and effectively taking over the software of smartphones, the CIA can get around the encryption technologies of popular apps such as WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram, Weibo, and Confide, by collecting communications before they are encrypted.

Sean Spicer, the White House press spokesman, said that Donald Trump was "extremely concerned" about the leaks.

"Anybody who leaks classified information will be held to the highest degree of law. We will go after people who leak classified information," he said.