Samsung laptops may have spyware pre-installed

[RamboLiberal]

The South Korean electronics giant Samsung may be spying on its own customers, using a program pre-installed on laptops that secretly monitors every keystroke.

In a guest posting on NetworkWorld, Toronto security researcher Mohammed Hassan described how he found keylogging software on a brand-new Samsung laptop he bought last month. He deleted it and continued to use the laptop, until it developed other problems.

Hassan returned it to the retailer and came home with a slightly better Samsung model — which also turned out to have the keylogging software.
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Told that didn't make sense, the supervisor then admitted to Hassan that the software is there to "monitor the performance of the machine and to find out how it is being used."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42349281/ns/technology_and_science-security/

[guruoo]

1. Update

Thanks, RL. Saw this today but didn't have enough time left before work to post.

UPDATE: Samsung has launched an investigation into the matter and is working with Mich Kabay and Mohamed Hassan in the investigation. Samsung engineers are collaborating with the computer security expert, Mohamed Hassan, MSIA, CISSP, CISA, with faculty at the Norwich University Center for Advanced Computing and Digital Forensics, and with the antivirus vendor whose product identified a possible keylogger (or which may have issued a false positive). The company and the University will post news as fast as possible on Network World. A Samsung executive is personally delivering a randomly selected laptop purchased at a retail store to the Norwich scientists. Prof. Kabay praises Samsung for its immediate, positive and collaborative response to this situation.

Original story, updated:

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/033011-samsung-investigating-report-of-keylogger.html

[Egnever]

7. Thanks for the sanity

I am sure the majority of this thread will be WOO

[Egnever]

9. Update

The statements that Samsung installs keylogger on R525 and R540 laptop computers are false.

Our findings indicate that the person mentioned in the article used a security program called VIPRE that mistook a folder created by Microsoft’s Live Application for a key logging software, during a virus scan.

The confusion arose because VIPRE mistook Microsoft's Live Application multi-language support folder, "SL" folder, as StarLogger.

(Depending on the language, under C:\windows folders "SL" for Slovene, "KO" for Korean, "EN" for English are created.)

Samsung will continue to respect customer needs by providing the highest quality products and services.

http://www.samsungtomorrow.com/1071

This is a link I came across when searching for info on this. I certainly cant vouch for that information but I think the original story leaves a little something to be desired as well. The scenario above I think is highly more likely.

[upi402]

8. "A Samsung executive is personally delivering a randomly selected laptop "

Fuck that, cut the cards player.

[Egnever]

11. I think this article is FUD the more I read it.

It would be incredibly stupid for samsung to do this. The original article suposedly in the finders own words is pretty weaksauce for a computer expert. I would expect a real tech to not only reveal where the file was located but give the file name and perhaps even size. This guy does neither. It seems from his story he called tech support? and got handed to a supervisor who told him "He confirmed that yes, Samsung did knowingly put this software on the laptop to, as he put it, "monitor the performance of the machine and to find out how it is being used." " Anyone who has called tech support should be familiar with the initial tech and their supervisor and how any one of those calls is a crap shoot.

I think this guy ran a virus scan and got a false positive and told his blogger/reporter friend about it and his blogger friend ran with the story.

Above I have a link to the chineese I believe, samsung world site where they have an explanation of where this folder and file came from and they claim it is not a keylogger. I find this way more likely than samsung installing keyloggers.


I could be wrong but I am willing to bet I am not.

[Tripod]

2. Thanks for my new nightmare.

I thought this was going on for a long time. I'm careful of what I do on my old desk top. Thanks for the heads up.

[gkhouston]

3. Windows is included? That's a bargain. n/t

[fishwax]

4. wow.

:argh:

[kenny blankenship]

5. They must not have lawsuits where Samsung is from

Also, in many states installing a keylogger (hacking) would be a felony.

[Keith Bee]

6. What about Acer?

My laptop is so damn sl

[Turborama]

10. My 5 year old Vaio is dying (literally) and I'm glad I'm building my 1st PC as a replacement instead

of going down the getting another laptop route.


In case anyone was wondering, I'm going for the full tower...

[Egnever]

12. Awesome!

Its the only way to go. I have built my own systems for about 15 years now and they always run circles arround anything you could by prefabbed for the same money and only have what I want on them.

Why a full tower just out of curiosity? They are huge!

[Turborama]

14. I went for the full because after having a flimsy/limited Vaio for 5 years I want to build a beast

Also, I want to try and be as future proof as possible.

I also like the amount of fans you can add and the chance to add tons of hard drives. I am breaking into professional photography and am learning all of the Adobe CS5 suites so need as much memory, graphics capability and storage as possible.

Just to make sure I can push it as far as poss., I bought one of these CPU coolers the other day - was thinking of going for liquid cooling but as I'm a newbie I got a bit worried about the risks of having water inside with all the electronics.

[Rabblevox]

13. while I hadn't heard about the keylogging software, EVERY computer...

new or used, should be low-level (meaning it will take awhile) reformatted before use, and ONLY install programs that you trust 100%. Anything else is like having unsafe sex with a blind date.