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McAfee Will Ignore FBI Spyware

Posted by chrisd on from the big-brother-tries-on-a-pink-shirt dept.

Drew writes: "The Washington Post is reporting on the FBI's new spyware called 'Magic Lantern.' According to their article, 'At least one antivirus software company, McAfee Corp., contacted the FBI on Wednesday to ensure its software wouldn't inadvertently detect the bureau's snooping software and alert a criminal suspect.' It is ridiculous that the software companies that are supposed to help us protect computers purposefully leave in loopholes for the FBI to operate their spyware."

2 of 571 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Magic Lantern benefits crackers! by The+Pim · · Score: 3, Troll
    - Modify c:\windows\hosts, point fbi.gov to the ip of haxor.org
    - Mail all passwords to me@fbi.org

    This particular example is silly: any software smart enough to detect and stop outgoing mail would probably 1) use the IP address of fbi.gov to allow Magic Lantern and 2) flag the modification of the hosts file as suspicious. However, ...

    Virus writers are smart. Very smart some times... keep this in mind please ;-)

    ... you are right in the same sense that I already mentioned: it's an arms race. There will always be ways to evade scanners, and perhaps the Magic Lantern features will make it a little easier. But it's hardly a red carpet for viruses.

    (Heck, if Magic Lantern does send mail to spooks@fbi.gov, and you can subvert the router on the victim's network, you can just infect him with the real Magic Lantern and you win!)

    --

    The evaluation of an action as 'practical' . . . depends on what it is that one wishes to practice.
  2. Re:Remember the Constitution! by Thomas+Wendell · · Score: 0, Troll

    The second amendment says:

    "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

    During the time of the writing of the constitution, personal ownership of guns was far from common, if not rare. The guns used by the militias were rounded up after the revolutionary war, not left in people's homes. It wasn't until after the civil war that private ownership of guns became widespread. I doubt the framers of the constitution anticipated every idiot in the county having the right to carry a hidden weapon, or even weapons that enable one person to easily and quickly kill many others or weapons that a child could operate to easily kill other children.

    Of all the rights that are getting trampled right now, erosion of the second amendment "rights" seem like the least of our worries.