IP: FBI reportedly wants Badtrans worm's pilfered data --Rotten.com

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

I found this interesting from both the privacy issues and the power of such 
mechanisms to act as info gathers if the source of the worm and the 
destination can be kept under wrap. For example if none of the virus 
programs happen to detect such a worm.

Dave

> Date: Mon, 17 Dec 2001 14:09:19 -0500
> From: Declan McCullagh <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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