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[FYI] (Fwd) FC: FBI reportedly wants Badtrans worm's pilfered data -




------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent:      	Mon, 17 Dec 2001 14:09:19 -0500
From:           	Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>
To:             	politech@politechbot.com
Subject:        	FC: FBI reportedly wants Badtrans worm's pilfered data --Rotten.com
Send reply to:  	declan@well.com


http://www.dailyrotten.com/articles/archive/189387.html

   December 17, 2001 
   FBI wants access to worm's pilfered data

   A ROTTEN.COM EXCLUSIVE

   The FBI is asking for access to a massive database that contains
   the private communications and passwords of the victims of the
   Badtrans Internet worm. Badtrans spreads through security flaws in
   Microsoft mail software and transmits everything the victim types.
   Since November 24, Badtrans has violated the privacy of millions of
   Internet users, and now the FBI wants to take part in the spying.

   Victims of Badtrans are infected when they receive an email
   containing the worm in an attachment and either run the program by
   clicking on it, or use an email reader like Microsoft Outlook which
   may automatically run it without user intervention. Once executed,
   the worm replicates by sending copies of itself to all other email
   addresses found on the host's machine, and installs a
   keystroke-logger capable of stealing passwords including those used
   for telnet, email, ftp, and the web. Also captured is anything else
   the user may be typing, including personal documents or private
   emails.

   [...]

   Last week the FBI contacted the owner of MonkeyBrains, Rudy Rucker,
   Jr., and requested a cloned copy of the password database and
   keylogged data. The database includes only information stolen from
   the victims of the virus, not information about the perpetrator.
   The FBI wants indiscriminant access to the illegally extracted
   passwords and keystrokes of over two million people without so much
   as a warrant. Even with a warrant they would have to specify
   exactly what information they are after, on whom, and what they
   expect to find. Instead, they want it all and for no justifiable
   reason.

   [...]



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