At the beginning of September, 2009, Microsoft released a Law Enforcement-only data collection tool called Computer Online Forensic Evidence Extractor, or "COFEE". The tool was given free to law enforcement agencies, ostensibly to help fight cybercrime. 

The function of the tool, once configured, is to allow law enforcement personnel to securely download live data, including system processes and network data. One option is to install the tools onto a USB stick./flash drive, stick it into a suspect's running computer, and collect desired data on the fly. 

Microsoft gave the apps to INTERPOL and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C) - to law enforcement in 187 different countries. 

With such wide distributon, is it surprising that two months after release, on November 6, 2009 the tool (actually purported to be a collection of tools) was widely reported as having been released into the wild by someone? On the other hand, COFEE is intended to be an evolving tool, so whatever was being spread around the Internet in November may not be the same set of tools that will be being used in December. 

This blog won't be the only place interested persons read this news. As of 5 PM November 7, a Google search for mentions of "COFEE" in the previous 24 hours yielded 47,200 results. 

Not bad for news less than a day old. Read more on the subject here