[ubuntu-uk] Ubuntu on the BBC!!!

[Alan Pope]

2009/10/22 Alan Lord (News) <alanslists at gmail.com>:
> There was a story (poss. last year or earlier) about a FBI(or Police)
> conference in the US where MS apparently handed out a USB key to all
> delegates that had "backdoors" into Windows. If I get chance I'll try to
> search for it.
>

Interesting, I'd not heard about that. Google turned up this:-

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20080429/095514977.shtml

"Apparently, they're giving out special USB keys that simply get
around Microsoft's security, allowing the holder of the key to very
quickly get forensic information (including internet surfing history),
passwords and supposedly encrypted data off of a laptop."

...

"Update: Some folks in the comments, and Ed Bott, claim that this post
is a misreading of the original story. The USB key includes a bunch of
standard tools, not access to a "backdoor." The confusion, on my part,
was due to the original article claiming that the device "can decrypt
passwords and analyze a computer's Internet activity, as well as data
stored in the computer." In saying so, it appeared that the device
must have access to a backdoor to decrypt the password -- but an
update claims that it's merely "password security auditing
technologies.""

Which could be achieved with one of many Linux based Live CDs or USB keys:-

http://www.darknet.org.uk/2006/03/10-best-security-live-cd-distros-pen-test-forensics-recovery/

Cheers,
Al.