Politech mailing list archives
FC: McAfee sides with FBI against customers on "Magic Lantern"
From: Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>
Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2001 11:01:19 -0500
Security software, including PGP and anti-virus ware, is either looking out for your interests or those of the government. It can't do both, and now we know where McAfee stands. I invite McAfee to reply; I will distribute any response unedited.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A1436-2001Nov22.html 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. http://www.politechbot.com/p-02822.html "FBI reportedly creating "Magic Lantern" anti-crypto virus" -Declan [Below posts forwarded from Dave Farber's IP list] ---
Date: Sat, 24 Nov 2001 14:06:47 -0700 To: David Farber <dave () farber net> From: Brett Glass <brett () lariat org> Subject: Re: IP: Detecting Magic Lantern? At 01:31 PM 11/24/2001, David Farber wrote:At 01:52 PM 11/23/2001, Henry E. Schaffer wrote: >"At least one antivirus software company, McAfee Corp., contaced the FBI >on Wednesday to ensure its software wouldn't inadvertently detect the >bureau's snooping software and alert a criminal subject." > >http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A1436-2001Nov22.htmlI have just removed all Network Associates products from my workstations and network servers, and will no longer recommend them to my clients or readers. I have taken this position because Network Associates, by rigging its products not to detect tampering by specific parties of its choosing, has betrayed users' trust and started a descent down a perilous, slippery slope. Will the company next change its PGP ("Pretty Good Privacy") software so that it contains back doors as well? Will its "Sniffer" products be configured to ignore certain types of attacks and allow selected parties onto customers' networks undetected, possibly hiding illegal searches by freewheeling law enforcement personnel? Will its "Magic Solutions" products, which allow remote control and maintenance of user workstations, become a vector for the installation of spying software by government snoops? Just as disturbing as the company's breach of trust with its customers is the prospect that others will exploit the back doors installed for the benefit of government agencies. Network Associates has shown that it is willing to compromise its integrity by selling intentionally faulty products. For this reason, it is no longer appropriate or wise for those concerned about the security of their networks, systems, or confidential data to use them. --Brett Glass
********
Date: Sun, 25 Nov 2001 12:47:23 -0800 (PST) From: Lauren Weinstein <lauren () vortex com> To: dave () farber net
Dave, The latest very short "Fact Squad Radio" audio commentary deals with the risks of the FBI's reported "Magic Lantern" project and similar systems. The piece is called "The Spy in Your Computer?" and is available via: http://www.factsquad.org/radio Thanks much. --Lauren-- Lauren Weinstein lauren () pfir org or lauren () vortex com or lauren () privacyforum org Co-Founder, PFIR - People For Internet Responsibility - http://www.pfir.org Co-Founder, Fact Squad - http://www.factsquad.org Co-Founder, URIICA - Union for Representative International Internet Cooperation and Analysis - http://www.uriica.org Moderator, PRIVACY Forum - http://www.vortex.com Member, ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
******** ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice. Declan McCullagh's photographs are at http://www.mccullagh.org/ To subscribe to Politech: http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current thread:
- FC: McAfee sides with FBI against customers on "Magic Lantern" Declan McCullagh (Nov 26)