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Magic Lantern (software)

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Magic Lantern is keystroke logging software developed by the United States' Federal Bureau of Investigation. Magic Lantern was first reported in a column by Bob Sullivan of MSNBC on 20 November 2001^[1] and also by Ted Birdis of the Associated Press.^[2] Unlike previous keystroke logger programs used by the FBI, Magic Lantern can reportedly be installed remotely, via an e-mail attachment or by exploiting common operating system vulnerabilities.^[3]^[4] It has been variously described as a virus and a Trojan horse. It is not known how the program might store or communicate the recorded keystrokes. In response to a Freedom of Information Act request filed in 2000 by the Electronic Privacy Information Center, the FBI released a series of unclassified documents relating to Carnivore, which included the "Enhanced Carnivore Project Plan". Sullivan's confidential source said that redacted portions of that document mention "Cyber Knight",

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a database that sorts and matches data gathered using various Carnivore-like methods from e-mail, chat rooms, instant messages, and Internet phone calls. It also matches files with captured encryption keys.

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Spokesmen for the FBI soon confirmed the existence of a program called Magic Lantern. They denied that it had been deployed, and they declined to comment further.^[5] The public disclosure of the existence of Magic Lantern sparked a debate as to whether anti-virus companies could or should detect the FBI's keystroke logger. Birdis reported that at least some anti-virus companies, including Network Associates (maker of McAfee anti-virus products), had contacted the FBI following the press reports about Magic Lantern to ensure their anti-virus software would not detect the program.^[6] Network Associates issued a statement denying this kind of cooperation with U.S. legal authorities within a week, fueling speculation as to which anti-virus products might or might not detect government trojans. ^[7] CNET News has surveyed 13 security companies about their contacts with and level of cooperation with law enforcement authorities.^[8]

References

^ Sullivan, Bob. "FBI software cracks encryption wall", MSNBC, 2001-11-20. Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
^ Ted Birdis. "FBI Develops Eavesdropping Tools," Washington Post, November 22, 2001.
^ FBI's Secret Spyware Tracks Down Teen Who Made Bomb Threats July 18, 2007 Wired Magazine
^ Threat of Terrorism On U.S. Infrastructure December 31, 2001 The New York Times
^ Article in the Village Voice, 24 May 2002
^ AP story about Magic Lantern, 22 November 2001
^ Article in Wired, 29 November 2001
^ CNET News - Security firms on police spyware, in their own words, 17 July 2007

Amanda So and Christopher Woo. "The Case for Magic Lantern: September 11 Highlights the Need for Increased surveillance," Harvard Journal of Law and Technology. v15, p521. (discusses the legal framework surrounding the use of keystroke loggers in law enforcement)