The /files directory has been online and they've been releasing files there for quite a few years. This isn't some new development.<p>Here's Internet Archive's snapshot from 2014:
<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20141127154059/http://file.wikileaks.org/file/" rel="nofollow">https://web.archive.org/web/20141127154059/http://file.wikil...</a>
> WikiLeaks just dumped all their files online<p>The same mistaken claim has been made in social media posts for so long now, that we are gradually starting to see the emergence of fact-check type pages on the topic. [1]<p>Not that they're overly informative, mind. The linked 'file' folder is part of WikiLeaks FTP mirror. If one goes up a folder (by clicking ../), one will find a helpful and informative document, entitled HOW-TO-MIRROR.txt<p>The files here are exactly the same as those served from the front end, via the main WikiLeaks site. Without the convenience of search, nor any accompanying articles for context.<p>They're not some secret dump of new or previously unreleased documents containing leaks. The folks with the unreleased documents won't be keeping them on a public FTP server.<p><a href="https://www.opindia.com/2020/12/fact-check-has-wikileaks-really-just-dumped-all-their-files-online/" rel="nofollow">https://www.opindia.com/2020/12/fact-check-has-wikileaks-rea...</a>
I recall some years ago during a period of uncertainty regarding Assange's safety an encrypted safeguard archive was released and could be downloaded, but I can't find anything about it online now. Were the keys ever revealed, if I'm not misremembering?