Microsoft faced a bit of embarrassment earlier this month when their COFEE forensics tool leaked onto the Web. The collection of programs and scripts is given to law enforcement to make PC forensics easy, and while it's composed of readily-available tools, it is still considered to be a proprietary package.

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well microsoft has thrown there money at someone once again but it is there right since they lost there software.

Wouldn't call this news.
Issuing take down notices is many companies SOP

Too late microsoft, i already got myself a copy! not that i am ever going to use it, kinda defeats the purpose of downloading it, but hey its free.

As always microsoft released something they shouldn't, just like with their windows 7, anyway I don't really imagine why would somebody want these programs, not me a least

"Microsoft faced a bit of embarrassment earlier this month" nah that happened already with vista ^_^ On a serious note tho, good job microsoft leaking such important tools to criminals, bravo!

lol I like the PDF in Coffee right at the end it states:
Version 1.1.2 Fixed bug which would not allow drives with drive labels to be formatted or wiped.
No its probably not meant for the standard User, but imagine the previous version where investigators would "wipe" someone's drive accidentally when trying to recover information. (actually it says "not", but anyway, still a concern for the standard non educated User)

Anyway, big hype over nothing, all tools including hex checkers can be found on the Net, mind you, you need to know what hex string you are looking for, and having those updated lists ("Dictionaries" I think) have always been the hardest thing to get But without them, then its very hard (nearly impossible) to search for suspect files.

Does anyone else find it mighty convenient that they already have a new product ready for deployment in its place? That was mighty fast, MS. Got anything else that you'd like to share with us that you already have squared away?

They just want more attention towards that product. It's not like they care that it appeared on the internet (i suspect that one of their own did it), it was only a matter of time until it happened, but they are working on a new version and they need to give the police (or whoever is buying it) a reason to buy the new one.

Actually, Microsoft provides COFEE to law enforcement agencies for free. As for issuing a takedown demand, that will accomplish very little.

I love the fact that Microsoft is threatening people when it was their fault the software got leaked! They should take responsibility for it and not pass the blame to anyone else!

How does MS manage to leak the exact thing that SHOULDN'T be leaked... I mean
come on, use more security and discretion.

Just a simple question ? So what ? :D

Microsoft should handle their people carefully.

its a pointless piece of kit anyway, ... so who cares you spilled your COFEE?

I see any problem on having this software

juz some noise Mic makes to keep itself on consumers' mind, be it good or bad? lol. i don't really thing this deserves much fuss/attention. the wares in COFEE ain't new to begin with. more like a collection with easy-of-use so average law inforcement (who ain't geeks) can use on-site.

Something so sensitive as COFEE was leaked on to sites. Maybe the new version will as well.

Wow, people, read some stuff before getting ridiculous. The COFEE crap does nothing you couldn't do normally, it just does it faster by typing commands for you. Its more or less for a police department that doesn't train their forensics in anything computer related (Which seriously, WTF).

sounds like a useless software anyway