@shenanigans61: I saw his info, but my comment wouldn't have been the same without the chastising-ness.

Yeah, I can make up words, wanna fight about it?

madog

@shenanigans61: *Goes and gets you a mac to get you away from this drama from MS*

--Tito--

@--Tito--: *Missed your point, and chuckles...late* :( :P

shenanigans61

hmmm... That why I have Spring Cleaning for my mac. You can over write free space 1, 7, or 35 times to destroy any forensic evidence in the free space but it cant do anything for anything on you hdd already not deleted.

bdk184

@madog: Needed said. :)
On that note, Buick was just inducted into the Poster Hall of Fame not long ago :P

shenanigans61

@aznplayer213:

Take heart, no one will want your "HD" porn.

Just because it's in HD. :| .

Kyang

@92BuickLeSabre: You obviously haven't been here long. Why would these posts differ in anyway from all others in "similar" news?

"News at 11. Cops now have a flash drive capable of gaining access to any PC.."

OMG Macs are better! I don't get malware or viruses and all my stuff just works together flawlessly and sunlight shines out of my arse.

"News at 12. Microsoft buys Yahoo..."

OMG Windows is such a better gaming machine than Mac and so much cheaper too, you guys are sheep.

"News at 6. Schools to switch to Linux."

OMG Linux is teh 7337, I can compile stuff by myself and code drivers for my dot matrix printer.

madog

Does it break Bitlocker?

mgoldman89

shit!!!! my hd porn!!! no!!!!!!!!!

aznplayer213

@mecoolai: Well, now I'm intrigued...

MacLockPick™ is a valuable tool for law enforcement professionals to perform live forensics on Mac OS X systems. The solution is based on a USB Flash drive that can be inserted into a suspect's Mac OS X computer that is running (or sleeping). Once the software is run it will extract data from the Apple Keychain and system settings in order to provide the examiner fast access to the suspect's critical information with as little interaction or trace as possible.

So: Does this circumvent FileVault?

nojo

So, when you get stopped at the airport and have to have your laptop out and inspected. Bam! They'll stick this doohickey in.

Silver_Back

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say this is not actually about OS's or manufacturers.

Nothing in this post is inherently about Macs/PCs, Windows/Leopard being better or worse. It's just about about a particular tech company deciding to help the police access information.

92BuickLeSabre

If you have, say, an 8 disk raid-5 array that contains your data and you overwrite two of the drives with random data, is it possible to reconstruct anything from the array?

brianhatch

Kinda scary, but if the computer is in the hands of a capable nerd its just a matter of time before they get through all the security stuff. This just expedited the process I guess.

Does it work on encrypted stuff though. What if you have "filevault" enabled or whatever the PC equivalent is. I thought that stuff was impenetrable.

hiphophipotamus

@shenanigans61: *Goes and says: Hey I never owned a mac and was just joking on the myth that macs are un-hackable*

--Tito--

*Goes and doesn't give a shit, but is still slightly amused at yet another attempt to make Macs look fantastic...ly gay*

shenanigans61

@mecoolai: *Goes and installs ubuntu again*. . .

--Tito--

@matto:
Definitely. I can see it now. People will think that Macs are impregnable, and thus buy more Macs, increasing the market share.

takashimike

I wonder whether it works by exploiting windows, or by actually going through the security. Exploiting windows has a long and storied history, but if it works that way, it wouldn't be able to crack particularily tough software. Either way, that is probably the coolest program so far put on a flash drive.

Scipio100

Oh Microsoft, why do you constantly work so hard to make me hate you so?

92BuickLeSabre

The mac version is called maclockpick. It is also used by law enforcement

mecoolai

WTH? Did MS leave themselves backdoors? Isn't that how security holes are created... Let alone, all it takes is one bad cop to spread this to the masses of the black market...

ugar

When will this hit torrents?

Sixdust

Am I going to be the only one that is left feeling less secure by this "instamagic" wonder? That said........I want one. (or 2)

whiteknight

obviously this is a mac fanboy conspiracy.

matto

*Goes and buys a mac* . .

--Tito--

E-mail myself all the good porn to my g-mail account and waste that space?

tehronin

OMGawds thyll fnd delishus lolicon! O teh noes.

Metkis

OHHH and what about TrueCrypt

One2ManyCords

@madog: "@92BuickLeSabre: You obviously haven't been here long."

No, YOU haven't been here long my friend, or you would have noticed that 92Buick is probably responsible for 1/10 of all posts... now that Nutbastard appears to be actually _working_ at work, anyway....

Mandatory_Field

@madog: obviously you failed to see the star....

Gotcha back Mr. Buick

One2ManyCords

That's why you always keep your sensitive materials on an external usb drive with self-destruct capability...

ideaman2020

@matt buchanan: "But will it run Crysis?"

FIXT.

Camon

Does it make your computer blurt out little witty quips right before the opening credits?

Did anyone else see the Weebl and Bob CSI: Pie-ami episode? Pure genius.

[www.weebls-stuff.com]

"Are you paying The Who to follow you around again? The mayor said to stop wasting tax payers money!"

davidfbecker

I pwn Macs and Windows with Linux. If they come out with a linux breaker thumbdrive, then I will shit myself.

Munga

Probably its already counter-hacked

Mike918

Oh the ABUSE, the ABUSE of this little object. Where the hell are those imginary privacy laws. I guess they just couldn't get anymore kicks from cavity searches anymore, so they have to cluster our electonic gadets. I wonder if they'll bann this in the DC area, cause this device is literally "the double edged sword". People won't have to steal VA or gov't laptops anymore. All they have to do is stick this in the USB slot, push ENter, twiddle thumbs, and walk away with the info when it's done.
It's not that I don't like the idea of the cops getting the sicko's or the bad guys, it just that this encompasses everybody. This is like RIAA and telecommunication taps supersized. I work with secure info all day, and this device literally makes me feel sick imagining it in the wrong hands
I know that this has been out for awhile but anybody wonder how fast and how much quanity this jump drive-ish device is going to sell on e-bay after people have read this gizmodo blog.

Cae64

"is it possible to reconstruct anything from the array?"

Do you work for the NSA?

soulfinger

@Mandatory_Field:
yeah man works been intense lately, im building stuff right now, so not a lot of time spent at the desk.

nutbastard

I will destroy all the USB ports on my laptop >< haha

bookmark

Why don't you have a seat over here.

aaj111

oh Ubuntu, you are my friend. Not that I have anything to hide.

jkr2

evidence eliminator, 1 hotkey and bam!!!
nothin left
besides, at the airport your lappy would have to be running for them to exploit it
"sensitive" stuff should be on a thumb drive anyway, easy to break and toss

godwhacker

If someone has one of these for their personal, couldn't they make some sort of protection?

TheManator

Now i understand why is that law about checking laptop on airports. This is going to do it...

VakeroRokero

Thank you, Ubuntu.

HeartBurnKid

@Cae64: Forensics software is nothing new, and has been around for quite a while. Some will already let you load on a USB drive, and are available for the downloading. There is already much more forensics and cracker software in DC than you can imagine....

@nutbastard: Condolences: Work sucks, unless you manage to get into that groove/zone where it's not work....

Mandatory_Field

it isn't like people use macs for anything other than trying to look cool - so why bother?...

Rodime

Hacking Windows, easy - it's done several hundreds of times a day...

Using 256 bit encryption that pisses off the NSA? Solutions not available to the usual police department? PRICELESS!!!

...It might catch a lazy pedophile or 6, but it wouldn't likely catch the bad guys that kill thousands at a time?

grok666

One word: ENCRYPT.

peteH

To catch a predator? More like "How RIAA and IFPI will catch you!"

Stalhandske

Anything that fights crime is good to me.

quikboy

Fact: Any data stored that a person with time has physical access to can eventually be decrypted, this USB tool just expedites the process.

Fact: Any image or audio that can be experienced by human beings can be reproduced.

These are the things the guys in the tin foil hats and the RIAA/MPAA forget. Oh and for those of you who may believe storing stuff in the cloud is better off, think again. Privacy Rights (or the illusion of, they aren't explicitly stated for those US citizens who haven't checked the constitution) do not extend far beyond your desktop or laptop. Have a nice day!

Rususeruru

Hello mister editor, why not add the MacLockPick-software to the article as well?

BoinK

What you need here is plausible deniability. If you can't proof its there, it's not there. I could make a system as easy as pie on which this little gadget would never work. Ok. not as easy as pie but your data would be safe.

curses

I'm all for it if it reduces littering and teen alcoholism.

strider_mt2k

Most of my data is either online or on a Pendrive, either way this method wouldn't work.

I've got an old laptop with no USB ports, looks like there's some use for it afte rall :-P

Mrrix32

.....good byes to teh Privacies.

Does Microsoft want the planet to hate them? Is this part of an agenda that we dont know about? Because they're doing a great job at that...

xint

people who use macs would never commit a crime...

or be stupid enough to get caught at least.

nystreetfilms

...Might as well invest in one of these

[www.everythingusb.com]

or

[www.cyberguys.com]

geel

@madog: Yeah, actually I'm with you. It tied the whole comment together.

(Not to mention that I don't actually expect anyone to know who I am. Although if I'm putting up 10% of the comments? Really Mandatory_Field, you think it's that high? Yikes.)

92BuickLeSabre

This is really cool of Microsoft. Anything can be abused, nothing new there, but this is designed to help the cops catch the bad guys and rescue the good guys faster.

mfaerber

Installing TrueCrypt now.

m-p{3}

designed to help cop...haven't they learn anything? One more reason to stay with XP....wait...does it apply to XP as well? One more reason to attempt Linux again... ;) or even (shutter) Mac...

hmooby

@geel: real nice! I like the first one you posted, everythingusb.com, looks very true indeed!

OG512

It is possible that if you totally lose two disks of an eight disk array, you can reconstruct much of the data.

It would be fairly tedious, but it should be doable by extracting the raw data off the remaining six drives and working with that. I assume professional drive recovery services have some utilities for that. And that those techniques are also available to law enforcement.

Now, if you need to dispose of a drive, a much faster way to do it would be to simply smash it with a sledgehammer until the platters are tiny particles. I do that with drives at work that are too small to reuse, but contain or contained important information. Much faster than writing random data to it 25 times over.

bloatboy

Evidence Eliminator for the laptop, clean data and wipe all slack space nightly.. Any sensitive data on an external drive using multiple layers of TrueCrypt Encryption to encapsulate the files that are individually encrypted using PGP and use random filenames... Make sure you don't use the same or similiar passwords for any of the encryptions.

syssat

@Rususeruru:
"Fact: Any data stored that a person with time has physical access to can eventually be decrypted..."

This is technically true, but when data is encrypted properly and securely, the time it takes to brute force (with current technology) the cyphertext can exceed the time the universe has been in existence. To say that given time all encryption can be broken is either a gross oversimplification, or a statement of extreme ignorance.
If you are referring to other ways of decrypting cyphertext like attacking vulnerabilities in the OS, or the physical layer of the system (ram-freezing method), or the multitudes of DRM hacks, you are not attacking the encryption, you are attacking the methods used to protect the keys.

pete

I wonder how long before PB, MN or other torrent sites get flooded with viruses and malware impersonating COFEE...

I the illusion of security being a linux user gives me.

Confuzius

I am sorry, but if one of those TSA bastards came at any one of my laptops, work included, with a usb drive I would beat the ever living crap out of them. Even if it wasnt carrying this software described here.

tikibomb

Comment on Microsoft COFEE Won't Perk You Up, But It Will Instamagically Hack Your Computer I work for federal law enforcement... Sorry to say, it works on most file tables including macs

LuigiCallidice

I want a panic button.
Disabled USB ports via firmware.
Drive-encryption hardware encoded.

Ofcourse, you realize, no government would allow a company to sell anything they can't access...

SigmundTheSeaMonster

FUD

N@tedog

tikibomb: It's nice to talk tough but I think when they started clubbing you, pepper spraying you or hitting you with the taser, you'd probably give it to them and then go change your drawers.

CW

Read this...
[blogs.zdnet.com]

thewarm

Some of the comments here make this out to be some advanced technology, or hint at a "backdoor", or "how easy it is to hack Windows."

The thing is: a) Windows is not that easy to "hack", from a remote perspective, if patched properly (or just as "easy" as any other OS) b) When you have physical access to a computer, it's game over for your data with ANY OS, unless you take some precaution.

In this case, all you have to do is boot off a Linux (or whatever) live CD and mount NTFS. No more ACLs, no more pesky Windows password (which you can blow away from the SAM at the same time), etc. This also goes for Linux, Mac, whatever. In fact, there are Linux live CDs especially made for this type of forensics and you can easily find them online. There's no magic here, this thing is just a pretty, easy-to-use package.

twistah

"The Party and Microsoft Are One"

BluntObjects

@SigmundTheSeaMonster: Nice thought, but that's somewhat useless. Maybe a panic button that that destroys the PC would work, but encryption by that time is too late and disabling USB ports is just a minor distraction. You're better off with proper whole-disk encryption before the feds/bad-guys come knocking, if you're worried about your data.

twistah

Does anyone else remember this? Back in 01 during the hysteria over 911, when companies like Zero Knowledge were actually turning off anonymous browsing, there were reports that Microsoft was sharing source code with the FBIs.

I have looked around a bit, but cannot find any reference to that. If anyone has a reference I would really like to see it. I definitely remember this! I mean I was shocked that MS would give their source code to anyone!

Gary_7vn

@Mandatory_Field: Madog, just got off the boat, and is proud of it! Some people not only don't pay attention... they can't.

Gary_7vn

Just put some sort of container on top of your PC that mixes styrofoam and diesel. Attach it to a trip wire. If they move the PC without disengaging it, the wire trips, the napalm is mixed, light it somehow and your hard drives go bye-bye. =-D

BigDanInTX

But will it work on Macs?

Who car.....Wait. Waaaaaay too easy.

It has something to do with a fish in a crate or barrel or something. Im Not sure.

Out2gtcha

In one swift and easy move, Microsoft have opened themselves to hundreds of thousands of false advertising lawsuits about their claims regarding the security of their operating system. For what use is security when Microsoft will just give the keys out to anyone?

paradigmious

As usual, Microsoft is about two years behind the times. This tool has been available online since about 2006. Do a Google search for "USB Switchblade".

[www.google.com]

Stirlitz

Comment on Microsoft COFEE Won't Perk You Up, But It Will Instamagically Hack Your Computer yeah, glad I have Linux, but I'm going to encrypt my /home partition because of this

ShyamlataPeitho

Macs are easy to hack, it's just that nobody does it because nobody cares about your "super sweet" garage band tracks and pic of your mom.
Gone in 2 minutes: Mac gets hacked first in contest
[security.itworld.com]

weshirecat

It doesn't matter... because people with macs are too smart to get caught : P

Andwu

To be honest, there are a few easy methods; one, if you are running linux, you simply disable all usb hardware. Anyone who isn't familiar with linux (esepcially if you are running reiser or something like that) will run the risk of potentially doing as much damage as recovering any data.

The simplest is a low tech method; and electro magnet wrapped around your hard drive that ties to a shunt from the battery. If you don't hit a hold down a particular key when you start the laptop all power shunts to the magnet and horribly corrupts the drive (possibly other components as well).

Alternatively, you can go the route a friend of mine uses; if he doesn't log into the computer for x amount of time, a cron job runs and wipes everything with a milspec format. Not foolproof but very hands off.

Personally I like deadman switch type stuff. it assumes i won't have access (seeing as at that point I would likely be incarcerated) and takes care of itself. if it were me, i would probably just do all my sensitive stuff from a live disk, using TOR, write to a thumbdrive, and when in doubt pitch the drive on the ground and stomp on it a couple times.

x40sw0n

ubuntu 8.04
+pgp+truecrypt

I'm just saying

anon26

My preferred method of sensitive data disposal (including whole harddrives): Blast furnace.

Yep. Blacksmithing is my hobby, and I have a homemade furnace in the back yard. If you know anything about Blacksmithing, you know you have to keep the furnace pretty hot, even when not in use. Start the bellows to bring the temperature up nice and hot, drop the drive in - bye bye data...

DigitalNoise

@aznplayer213: @Kyang: What about his Blu Ray porn?

Evangelion

Don't be hatin'. Get yo'self some 8gig microSD's You can hide them under your tongue!!!! Keep your computer clean. Ha, they will never know I have their secret plans and 2 gigs of porn under my tongue...

gizmodohomepage

how bout rsh encrypted files? or aes? or hardware encryption? or linux?

i love you linux... never cracked in pwn2own

mrbob1000

@x40sw0n: Just to play a little devil's advocate:

a) Disabling USB ports won't do much, because there are plenty of other ways of mounting a file system.

b) Sounds like you have a new laptop in your near future ;)

c) Better not get stuck in traffic ;) Also, milspec (I assume you mean DoD standards) is a waste of time -- one pass with 0s is more than enough to stop most forensics, and while another one may not hurt, in an emergency, DoD-spec will probably consume too much time.

Speaking of which: an FBI agent, involved in forensics, told a friend of mine that they're not equipped to handle Linux file systems and, in most cases, that alone is a big deterrent for forensics.

twistah

The rumor was, even before 9/11, that MS had given the Feds a back door to Windows as part of an anti-trust settlement.

GadgetPlay

I'll cast my vote for: Yet another way M$ will have created an embarrassing security hole in Windows! Thinking about it, this headline indicates M$ very likely programmed a security hole into the USB protocols. Now that system cracking amateurs know what areas of windows to attack, it will only be a short time before M$ has to put out a patch to fix the hole.

Sometimes, I love the media. It's just this kind of information that ends up defeating the hole the 'product' was designed to exploit.

drsmith

This is where steganography comes in. Use something like TrueCrypt, and call the file corel.dat or something like that. I'm sure M$ doesn't have a backdoor on third-party software.

archpope

As if USB drive viruses werent enough, now we have to worry about USB drives stealing our information thx to evil MICROSOFT.

LOL I bet it doesnt work on VISTA like most USB drives!

Bilir_kisi