The tool, dubbed Ferret, analyzes information that computers and other network devices regularly send out as a matter of course--a problem that Robert Graham, CEO of startup Errata Security, called data seepage.
Ferret captures and analyzes the administrative parts of 25 different protocols--such as the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), the Common Unix Printer Service (CUPS), and Apple File Protocol (AFP)--to glean information about the target computer and its user.
For example, a computer searching for a wireless connection will name all the access points to which it recently connected. As a computer's user roams the Web, the machine's Internet browser reveals a ream of information, including the computer's operating system, patch level of the browser and, of course, destinations.
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