(((Okay, now imagine gangs of battle-hardened Estonians wandering around with these cracker gadgets... in fact, imagine them being cloned by the thousands in Macau.)))
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/microsoft/2004379751_msftlaw29.html
Microsoft has developed a small plug-in device that investigators can use to quickly extract forensic data from computers that may have been used in crimes.
The COFEE, which stands for Computer Online Forensic Evidence Extractor, is a USB "thumb drive" that was quietly distributed to a handful of law-enforcement agencies last June. Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith described its use to the 350 law-enforcement experts attending a company conference Monday.
The device contains 150 commands that can dramatically cut the time it takes to gather digital evidence, which is becoming more important in real-world crime, as well as cybercrime. It can decrypt passwords and analyze a computer's Internet activity, as well as data stored in the computer. (((Uh, don't lose that thumb drive in your pants pocket... gosh it's so small... Where'd it go? Off into limbo with the banking records of half the British population.)))
It also eliminates the need to seize a computer itself, which typically involves disconnecting from a network, turning off the power and potentially losing data. Instead, the investigator can scan for evidence on site.
More than 2,000 officers in 15 countries, including Poland, the Philippines, Germany, New Zealand and the United States, are using the device, which Microsoft provides free. (((Sure is a good thing those Filipino computer police are incorruptible.)))
"These are things that we invest substantial resources in, but not from the perspective of selling to make money," Smith said in an interview. "We're doing this to help ensure that the Internet stays safe." (((It's the cops selling these gizmos to the cybermafia who are making the big money.)))
Law-enforcement officials from agencies in 35 countries are in Redmond this week to talk about how technology can help fight crime. Microsoft held a similar event in 2006. Discussions there led to the creation of COFEE.
Smith compared the Internet of today to London and other Industrial Revolution cities in the early 1800s. As people flocked from small communities where everyone knew each other, an anonymity emerged in the cities and a rise in crime followed. ((("Jonathan Wild, Thieftaker General.")))
The social aspects of Web 2.0 are like "new digital cities," Smith said. Publishers, interested in creating huge audiences to sell advertising, let people participate anonymously.
That's allowing "criminals to infiltrate the community, become part of the conversation and persuade people to part with personal information," Smith said.
Children are particularly at risk to anonymous predators or those with false identities.... (((Hey, even a six year old can plug in a thumb drive.)))
