Magic Lantern

Overview

Magic Lantern (since renamed the Computer and Internet Protocol Address Verifier or CIPAV) is keystroke logging software developed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Magic Lantern can reportedly be installed remotely, via an e-mail attachment or by exploiting common operating system vulnerabilities, unlike previous keystroke logger programs used by the FBI. 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.

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The full capabilities of the FBI's 'computer and internet protocol address verifier' are closely guarded secrets, but here's some of the data the malware collects from a computer immediately after infiltrating it, according to a bureau affidavit acquired by Wired News. • IP address • MAC address of ethernet cards • A list of open TCP and UDP ports • A list of running programs • The operating system type, version and serial number • The default internet browser and version • The registered user of the operating system, and registered company name, if any • The current logged-in user name • The last visited URL Once that data is gathered, the CIPAV begins secretly monitoring the computer's internet use, logging every IP address to which the machine connects. All that information is sent over the internet to an FBI computer in Virginia, likely located at the FBI's technical laboratory in Quantico.

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