FBI Virus Cracks Encryption
The FBI is developing new surveillance software that would allow agents to decode the hard-to-break encrypted data of criminal suspects, MSNBC reported Wednesday.
Many tech-savvy criminals encrypt their electronic communications to evade law enforcement. Known as "Magic Lantern," the FBI's new software is designed to eliminate this digital loophole.
Magic Lantern works by infecting a suspect's computer with a virus that installs "keylogging" software -- a program that can capture the keystrokes typed into a computer. If agents can track what a suspect types, they could obtain information that would let them access the key a suspect uses to encrypt and decrypt data.
That's because encryption keys are protected only by the pass phrase used to start the Pretty Good Privacy program, similar to the passwords used to control access to a network. If agents can decipher a suspect's pass phrase by examining what he types into his computer, they can gain access to his encryption keys. The keys can then be used to unscramble the suspect's encrypted messages.
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To infect a suspect's computers with the keylogging virus, the FBI could enlist a suspect's friends or relatives to email the virus inside an attachment, a source told MSNBC. The FBI could also infect a target computer by exploiting known security vulnerabilities, the source said.
According to MSNBC's source, Magic Lantern is one of a series of enhancements the FBI is currently making to its Carnivore project, the name given to the agency's email-spying tool.
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I got really really upset when I read this. Its bad enough I've got to keep an eye on script kiddies. Now the Gov;t has gone so far as to invade my space...... Its almost enough for me just to go out and Doss Those *******s!!!!!.......................
With the respect to you american people. I have no respect to your Goverment!!!!! There just turned in to terrorists!!!
Today is a sad day!!!!
Re: FBI Virus Cracks Encryption
Quote:
Originally posted by -=solarismka=-
With the respect to you american people. I have no respect to your Goverment!!!!! There just turned in to terrorists!!!
I have to agree......:fpissed:
Could you give me the link to the site that you got this information from?
This is not new at all...
This is a good topic to be discussing. The only thing I want to know is why is everyone thinking that this is something new? The feds are always trying to keep a step ahead of so-called hackers which in reality they are the hackers/crackers. I have no beef with the way that the feds are doing things but just come out from the dark and reveal to people that you can never be invisible online. They are just doing this to have the lead-way to just go into someones computer. Trust me...someone will be capalizing off of this little game. That is the his-story of the good ole United States. "Lets make the net safe for everyone but in reality they are the main ones that infest the net with all of the exploits. Trust me this is not new at all and to close this out...PGP is not "pretty good at all" because if you knew the sequence/formula then you would know that it is a weak program to begin with! It is stictly logical...anything that can be ciphered can be deciphered!
Re: This is not new at all...
Quote:
Originally posted by -=solarismka=-
If agents can decipher a suspect's pass phrase by examining what he types into his computer
Using "decipher" here is an abuse of language (although I'm sure everyone knows) since you don't decipher the passphrase, you merely save it…
Quote:
Originally posted by mr_unforgiven
PGP is not "pretty good at all" because if you knew the sequence/formula then you would know that it is a weak program to begin with!
What do you mean by "sequence/formula"???
Ammo