The FBI confirmed on Wednesday that it is working on the
controversial Magic Lantern project which will be used to eavesdrop
on computer communications.
It is a program carried by a trojan horse, being e-mailed by the
FBI to suspected criminals in the same way that viruses are often
sent. Such programs, when unwittingly activated by a recipient, can
record every keystroke by the individual and then e-mail the
results to the FBI. This can give the FBI access to passwords or
other information that is otherwise difficult to obtain.
CNet quotes officials at anti-virus developers Symnatec, Network
Associates, Trend Micro and Sophos, saying they do not intend to
compromise the security of their products. However, if the
companies cannot obtain a copy of Magic Lantern, they may be unable
to protect their customers against it.
