Barney's Blog

Blog archive

Microsoft Forensic Tool in the Hands of Hackers

Microsoft has a special computer forensics tool designed only for law enforcement. Now, the Computer Online Forensic Evidence Extractor (COFEE) has been leaked on the Internet, and the fear is that hackers can use the tool to sidestep these very forensic techniques.

The tool is designed to nab computer information including evidence of child pornography and other crimes -- the same approach I see on every other episode of "Law & Order."

This may not be a huge deal. Hackers already have plenty of tools for snooping, and I'm not sure having COFEE out in the wild is a game changer. Tell me where I'm wrong at [email protected].

Posted by Doug Barney on November 16, 2009


Featured

  • Microsoft Dismantles RedVDS Cybercrime Marketplace Linked to $40M in Phishing Fraud

    In a coordinated action spanning the United States and the United Kingdom, Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit (DCU) and international law enforcement collaborators have taken down RedVDS, a subscription based cybercrime platform tied to an estimated $40 million in fraud losses in the U.S. since March 2025.

  • Sound Wave Illustration

    CrowdStrike's Acquisition of SGNL Aims to Strengthen Identity Security

    CrowdStrike signs definitive agreement to purchase SGNL, an identity security specialist, in a deal valued at about $740 million.

  • Microsoft Acquires Osmos, Automating Data Engineering inside Fabric

    In a strategic move to reduce time-consuming manual data preparation, Microsoft has acquired Seattle-based startup Osmos, specializing in agentic AI for data engineering.

  • Linux Foundation Unites Major Tech Firms to Launch Agentic AI Foundation

    The Linux Foundation today announced the creation of a new collaborative initiative — the Agentic AI Foundation (AAIF) — bringing together major AI and cloud players such as Microsoft, OpenAI, Anthropic and other major tech companies.