[iwar] [fc:Microsoft,.cDc.and.FBI.Cut.a.Deal:.FBI.Surveillance.Software.to.be.Part.of.Windows.XP.Updates]

From: Fred Cohen (fc@all.net)
Date: 2001-12-14 10:18:52
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From: Fred Cohen <fc@all.net>
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Date: Fri, 14 Dec 2001 10:18:52 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [iwar] [fc:Microsoft,.cDc.and.FBI.Cut.a.Deal:.FBI.Surveillance.Software.to.be.Part.of.Windows.XP.Updates]
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(fyi, I am trying to confirm this claim - many folks thought the cDC
statement on the matter was a typical prank of theirs.....rf)


<a href="http://www.vaspnet.com/News/1127637">http://www.vaspnet.com/News/1127637>

Microsoft, cDc and FBI Cut a Deal: FBI Surveillance Software to be Part of Windows XP Updates

By John Robbington
13-12-2001

The controversy, rumours and speculation surrounding the FBI's Magic
Lantern tool has attracted ridicule from the internet underground.

Not so any more. Now both the infamous hacker group the Cult of the Dead
Cow (cDc) and Microsoft have offered a helping hand to the Feds and are
preparing to include the surveillance software in all future editions
and updates of the new Microsoft Windows XP operating system.

"This Magic Langern could easily become a part of Windows XP Dynamic
Updates, or even become a standard part of the operating system."
Microsoft spokesperson Bob Null said. "We are really looking forward to
experimenting this on a large scale. Our direct Marketing department was
jumping out of their pants when they heard we would be doing this." As
well they should. - The dream of both direct marketers and FBI coming
both true at the same time.

Also to be included in the future Microsoft Windows XP (R) are
Microsoft's trademark profiling software meant for tracking individual
users:

See: Microsoft licenses profiling software for digital TV
[http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/22/23318.html]

Microsoft's New Technology enables the FBI to profile individuals
through their viewing habits and so provide FBI with useful information
about potential terrorists and other criminals.

Both Microsoft and FBI point out that individual profiles are not given
a name and that the information is stored on the FBI government
computers only and not on public computers. But this holds little sway
with privacy advocates.

Predictive, a Microsoft partner in this venture, has also filed a patent
for a biometric system which identifies different individuals within the
same household.

The system works on recognising people's keystroke, mouse or
remote-control usage patterns. It says that it generates random, perfect
IDs each time, which have the effect of identifying all the household's
PC users, even if they didn't write anything that would otherwise
indicate to FBI and Microsoft who is using the computer.

Andy Beers, senior product manager for Microsoft said of the deal:
"Predictive Networks' solutions will provide customers of Microsoft with
state-of-the-art software to understand suspected terrorists'
characteristics and interests. The result will be the technology and
expertise needed to make thought police operation a seamless reality for
the consumer, while enabling incrementally criminalizing various aspects
of file swapping terrorist hunts within the United States and abroad."

[ meaning more targetted marketing and spam - rf]

Evidently still grizzled about the fact that their security is too bad
to afford any real protection, Microsoft has withheld the publishing of
a notorious security track record, that of Microsoft being the most
often penetrated OS of the Millennium.

Reid Fleming, a cDc member and now a secret Microsoft employee, said:
"Never before has the US faced a more troublesome enemy. To meet this
growing challenge, the FBI has announced an ongoing effort to create and
deploy best-of-breed electronic surveillance software.

"While we applaud the innovation and drive of the federal law
enforcement agency, those of us who are US citizens would be remiss if
we did not offer our expertise in this area."

A tongue in cheek announcement from the group claims that cDc "has more
targeted experience than anyone else in this field".

And they're right. Their Back Orifice would do the Magic Lantern job
beautifully. Although the hackers are quite confident that the Microsoft
and FBI's Engineering Research Facility is more than capable, cDc
intends to re-architect Back Orifice from the ground up.

"There will be absolutely no shared code between the two projects, in
order to skirt detection by commercial antivirus packages. The code will
remain totally secret. The software will never surface publicly. And it
will be far more stealthy than anything we have ever released,
demonstrated or publicly discussed," the group said.

Indeed, the central design principle of Magic Lantern and this new breed
of Back Orifice could easily be interpreted as "an artificial witness
which is capable of intercepting any and all relevant activity during,
after and even leading up to the commission of a computer crime", it
added.

The cDc concluded that the project would deliver "the ultimate
intelligence gathering tool to the govenrment. And we intend to
construct it, at no cost, exclusively for the use of Microsoft and the
federal government," said Fleming.

"We are confident that Microsoft and the government will limit the use
of this technology only to targets relevant to legitimate
investigations," he added, further underscoring the cult's faith in
federal law enforcement organisations. "The FBI has a long history of
following Title 18 to the letter."

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