WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange pledged Thursday to provide technology companies with the technical details needed to fix product flaws that were exposed when his organization published documents that apparently show how the Central Intelligence Agency hacks into phones and other devices.

The 8,761 documents that WikiLeaks posted on its website Tuesday described malware and other tools used to exploit a wide range of commercial products including smartphones, software and equipment from Apple, Alphabet's Google, Samsung, and Microsoft.

The documents sent companies scrambling to uncover what specific security flaws the attacks might be exploiting. And Mr. Assange's offer on Thursday created a fresh set of complications for the companies dealing with the leak.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer warned companies on Thursday that accepting classified material from WikiLeaks could be violating the law. They should check with the Justice Department in advance, he said.

When WikiLeaks released the information the antisecrecy organization said it obtained from the CIA files, the organization had put tech companies in the position of knowing they might have security vulnerabilities but not knowing how to address the flaws and protect their customers.

"After considering what we think is the best way to proceed and hearing the calls from some of the manufacturers, we have decided to work with them to give them some exclusive access to the additional technical details we have so that fixes can be developed and pushed out," Mr Assange said during a news conference broadcast online.

The CIA lashed out Thursday at Mr. Assange and WikiLeaks for disclosures that the group has said represents an overreach by US intelligence officials. Neither the CIA nor the White House has commented on the authenticity of the documents.

"Julian Assange is not exactly a bastion of truth and integrity," CIA spokesman Jonathan Liu said. "Despite the efforts of Assange and his ilk, [the] CIA continues to aggressively collect foreign intelligence overseas to protect America from terrorists, hostile nation states, and other adversaries."

The tech companies must now decide whether they're willing to accept WikiLeaks' offer. Having in hand the actual code used in the purported CIA hacking tools would enable the companies to understand the exact holes in their products. But the prospect of working with an organization that publishes stolen government secrets also raises delicate ethical, legal and public-relations issues.

Although it would be "unheard of" for the federal government to prosecute a company for using leaked classified information to improve its products, there "are some issues with the fact that the information is classified," said Jennifer Granick, director of civil liberties at Stanford Law School's Center for internet and Society.