German government accused of releasing a state-sponsored computer trojan

The Chaos Computer Club (CCC) a very well respected German group of hackers have released a report (German PDF) claiming that the German government has knowingly released a backdoor trojan and keylogger into the wild and it is intended as a way to spy on its citizens.

The German government hasn’t responded yet but the trojan, which has been examined by the CCC, is capable of siphoning off intimate data as well as providing methods for remote control of a computer infected with the trojan. As well there is a backdoor opening that will allow for uploading and running of other programs.

Due to this last one the trojan is open to being upgraded as newer versions are created and released. One of the features available in the current version of the trojan is the ability to turn the system microphone and webcam on or off remotely.

Additionally the trojan has been examined by security company F-Secure and they have found that the keylogger included in the trojan will target some specific applications like: MSN Messenger, Firefox, and Skype. F-Secure also found code that allows for the taking of screenshots and recording of audio, including any Skype calls.

F-Secure, unlike Chaos Computer Club, won’t come right out and say that the the German government is behind the trojan; and of course the German government isn’t saying anything at this point.

This is a developing story and bound to get a lot more interesting as more details come available.

via Ed Bott