Carnivore

Definition: Carnivore is a "network diagnostic tool" created by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to assist in crime investigations. It is a secure computer platform running Windows/NT or Windows 2000 and application software developed by the FBI. The technology of Carnivore does not differ substantially from other network sniffers that have been commercially available for years. Carnivore has drawn special attention, however, because of the large amount of Internet traffic it is capable of capturing.

The FBI typically installs Carnivore in an ISP data center when investigating individuals suspected of federal crimes such as terrorism. Carnivore snoops essentially all data flowing through the network and saves the bits that fit a specific profile -- email sent or received from a particular user name, for example, or all data sent to Web sites from a particular IP address. Although the data of many other uninvolved people on the Net may flow through the Carnivore system, the FBI claims that the privacy of this data will not be compromised.

Also Known As: Omnivore