Microsoft gave out multiple usb devices to police agencies last June that allow investigators to bypass passwords and other protections in Windows operating systems. These devices contain 150 commands that allow for fast scanning on a suspect’s computer when police are looking for evidence.

According to The Seattle Times, The device purportedly allows investigators to scan computers and doesn’t require confiscation of equipment. Named COFEE, which stands for Computer Online Forensic Evidence Extractor, the device is used by thousands of police in 15 countries.

My concern with this is two-fold.

First, can Microsoft’s “security” be trusted with any data if their mechanisms can be so easily thwarted(even for good reasons)? Second, what happens when these devices make their way into the wrong hands? We hear of laptops being stolen and lost by officials monthly, if not more frequently, and small USB devices would be even harder to track.

A lot of people will claim that “if you have nothing to hide, you don’t have anything to worry about”, but with identity theft, and misuse of data so rampant, personal privacy is even higher priority now than ever before.

UPDATE: An aupdate to this article has been posted over at The Seattle Timesand can be read here. A Microsoft spokesperson says the tool contains no backdoor methods or tools.