Security → Department of Justice Ordering Malware

The Department of Justice has posted a solicitation on the Federal Business Opportunities website looking for a contractor to provide them with Malware. Specifically stated to be used by the Quantico, Virginia offices of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, this Malware solicitation is a re-posting of an earlier May 12th posting that apparently didn’t garnish any capable contractors.

Stating their interests with the Malware as being solely research-related to "provide actionable intelligence to the investigator in both criminal and intelligence matters"

»www.thewestwire.com/depa ··· malware/

Has the world gone completely bonkers, or is it just me seeing it that way?

US cybercrime laws being used to target security researchers

Hmm. On the one hand, the government seems to be looking for contractor assistance in collecting malware; and on the other hand, they seem to be attempting to snuff out non-governmental security researchers. Could it be the government is seeking a monopoly on the collection, research, mitigation (and potential use) of malware? Now THAT's a chilling prospect in an era of rising "Big Brother" concerns...

However, in this era of incompetent and massive governmental bureaucracy bent on enhancing its own power and role, it's more likely their left hand has no real clue what their right hand is doing. And even less 'clue' about the Constitutional legality of any of it...