FBI surveillance bonanza in BadTrans.B worm

Millions of Outlook and Outlook Express users have been infected by the BadTrans.B worm, which logs keystrokes in every open window and periodically sends the log files to one of several e-mail dumps, presumably for later retrieval by nosey hackers.

Or Feds. According to a story from Rotten.com, an ISP which hosts one of the e-mail dumps, MonkeyBrains, has received a request from the FBI to turn over all the relevant log files.

MonkeyBrains has instead turned the tables on the FBI by making part of the database available to everyone on their Web site here.

If the story is true, then the FBI's intention is clear. They plan to assemble the data and grep for various key words and names in hopes of stumbling upon the passphrases of known and suspected evildoers. It's Magic Lantern on steroids, and yet it's just a dumb accident -- but one which could dump an absolute mother lode of otherwise forbidden data in the Feds' laps.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/55/23438.html