Microsoft software that is designed to help the police access
encrypted data is loose on the web.
The software, known as
Computer Online Forensic Evidence Extractor (Cofee), has been
put on file-sharing site, according to reports on the web. It is
illegal for unauthorised people to use the software or download
it.
The software helps law enforcement agencies access details about
crimes before criminals can wipe the information.
"Cofee brings together a number of common digital forensics
capabilities into a fast, easy-to-use, automated tool for first
responders. And Cofee is being provided [free] to law enforcement
around the world," said Microsoft.
Police officers with basic computer skills can be taught to use
the software in less than 10 minutes. "This enables the officer to
take advantage of the same common digital forensics tools used by
experts to gather important volatile evidence, while doing little
more than simply inserting a USB device into the computer," said
Microsoft.
Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos said “The
genie is out of the bottle.”
“Microsoft and the computer crime authorities will be mightily
upset that this was leaked onto the internet for anyone to download
via file-sharing sites.”
“Some will be worried that unauthorised users may now have
access to such a tool for their own nefarious purposes, but I would
also worry that computer criminals could analyse Cofee, and write
code that would identify that it is trying to run on their computer
and intercept it, securely wiping incriminating data from their
hard drives.”
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