A computer virus being circulated by e-mail appears to be an effort to bait the purported US electronic monitoring system known as Echelon, according to an Internet security firm.
The virus, a variant of the "ILOVEYOU" virus which wreaked havoc on computers across the globe in a year ago, could be an effort to overload the Echelon monitoring system, according to the security firm Sophos.The virus, says Sophos, contains in its source code a number of words that could attract the attention of eavesdroppers, such as "assassination," "motorcade," "sabotage" "toxin," "air command," "Islamic revolution" and "boobytraps."
The virus is known as a "worm" because it replicates itself when a recipient opens up the e-mail attachments, and then sends further copies to those listed in the computer's address book.
"The worm contains a large number of comments inside its code which do not get displayed," Sophos said in an advisory earlier this week. "It is possible these have been chosen in an attempt to overload the Echelon e-mail monitoring system should the worm become widespread."
News reports have said the Echelon system is operated by the top-secret National Security Agency, which has never confirmed or denied the existence of Echelon.
Earlier this month, officials of CIA and NSA refused to meet with EU investigators seeking information on the purported electronic listening system.
The Europeans, whose concern about the existence of Echelon goes back many years, continue to seek details about its operations amid allegations the vast US surveillance network is being used for industrial espionage purposes against Europe.
US officials have repeatedly denied allegations that they have a system that conducts industrial espionage.
AFP