In the technology section of the New York Times, there was an interesting article about a discovery which could help in the search for missing children or prosecuting those involved with distributing child pornography.
SAN FRANCISCO — A group led by a Princeton University computer security researcher has developed a simple method to steal encrypted information stored on computer hard disks
Is it unconstitutional to search a computer without requiring the password as part of a criminal investigation?
The issue of protecting information with disk encryption technology became prominent recently in a criminal case involving a Canadian citizen who late in 2006 was stopped by United States customs agents who said they had found child pornography on his computer.
When the agents tried to examine the machine later, they discovered that the data was protected by encryption. The suspect has refused to divulge his password. A federal agent testified in court that the only way to determine the password otherwise would be with a password guessing program, which could take years.
A federal magistrate ruled recently that forcing the suspect to disclose the password would be unconstitutional.
To learn more visit:
Princeton University- Center for Information Technology
Or read this Cold Boot PDF
