Samsung installs keylogger on its laptop computers [FALSE]

[Telengard]

This key logger is completely undetectable and starts up whenever your computer starts up. See everything being typed: emails, messages, documents, web pages, usernames, passwords, and more. StarLogger can email its results at specified intervals to any email address undetected so you don't even have to be at the computer your[sic] are monitoring to get the information. The screen capture images can also be attached automatically to the emails as well as automatically deleted.

Samsung installs keylogger on its laptop computers

>

Edit
Samsung responds

[wizard10000]

Re: Samsung installs keylogger on its laptop computers

Saw that on /.

It's too bad, really - as I've been a big fan of Samsung hardware. Now I know not to buy their computers

[MoonRise]

Re: Samsung installs keylogger on its laptop computers

Tis a shame. I've always have loved Samsung. My phone is a Samsung. Makes me wonder now.

[kubicle]

Re: Samsung installs keylogger on its laptop computers

Looks like a false positive from VIPRE antivirus:
http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/31/s...n-r525-privac/

[wizard10000]

Re: Samsung installs keylogger on its laptop computers

Interesting. Now I can go back to liking Samsung

They're generally my first choice for hard drives and I've got a 20" monitor I've had for years and it's still going strong. I bought a printer from them probably ten years ago that wasn't real great but everything else has been good.

[Telengard]

Re: Samsung installs keylogger on its laptop computers

Looks like a false positive from VIPRE antivirus:
http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/31/s...n-r525-privac/

Or, slightly more authoritative:
http://www.samsungtomorrow.com/1071

Thanks for the update, kubicle. I'm waiting to see how Hassan responds to this. Someone is going to eat crow.

It's worth mentioning that the software keylogger in question only affects Windows, as it lives inside the C:\ volume. Also, PC manufacturers have been preinstalling software of dubious value since Windows 95 or even longer. This is not a new phenomenon.

[Telengard]

Re: Samsung installs keylogger on its laptop computers

http://www.networkworld.com/newslett...32811sec2.html

[UPDATE 3/31/11: Samsung has issued a statement saying that the finding is false. The statement says the software used to detect the keylogger, VIPRE, can be fooled by Microsoft's Live Application multi-language support folder. This has been confirmed at F-Secure and two other publications, here and here.The headline on this article has been changed to reflect this new information.]

[UPDATE 3/31/11: GFI Labs, the maker of VIPRE, has issued an explanation and apology for generating the false positives that led to these articles: "We apologize to the author Mohamed Hassan, to Samsung, as well as any users who may have been affected by this false positive."]

Uh oh. Looks like Mr. Hassan may have jumped the gun on this one. VIPRE anti-virus suite has some egg on their face too.

A Network World article has alleged Samsung laptops of having a keylogger. Unfortunately (and to our dismay), the evidence was based off of a false positive by VIPRE for the StarLogger keylogger.

I'm fairly sure now that this was just a false positive, but there is one fact of the case I find to be inexplicable.

http://www.networkworld.com/newslett...40411sec1.html

The supervisor who spoke with me was not sure how this software ended up in the new laptop thus put me on hold. 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."

Why is the Samsung representative admitting to the logging software if it really was just a false positive?

[kubicle]

Re: Samsung installs keylogger on its laptop computers

Why is the Samsung representative admitting to the logging software if it really was just a false positive?

That is indeed rather odd, perhaps it was just a misunderstanding on either end...hard to say without hearing the conversation that took place.

What I find equally odd is that a proclaimed "computer security expert/researcher" didn't bother to check what was in the dubious directory before making a big fuss about it. :P

[MoonRise]

Re: Samsung installs keylogger on its laptop computers

What I find equally odd is that a proclaimed "computer security expert/researcher" didn't bother to check what was in the dubious directory before making a big fuss about it. :P

I agree with that. When viruses first started making their big appearance and fuss in the mid/late 80's (alright, I agree they were around b4 that but that is when I paid attention to the consequence of viruses) I remember tracking down the location looking at the contents and actually exploring the code when I could get to it. Even now with the Fly By Mal Ware that some systems at work occasional get due to employees exploring where they shouldn't I always try to manually clean those systems and look and research exactly what and where it installed things. Again, I look at the content to understand what it is and is doing. Maybe that's me, IDK, but I agree with you.

[Telengard]

Re: Samsung installs keylogger on its laptop computers

That is indeed rather odd, perhaps it was just a misunderstanding on either end...hard to say without hearing the conversation that took place.

Is it possible Hassan lied about Samsung's confession to make himself seem more credible? If so then I think the consequences for Mr. Hassan should be very severe. For example, maybe some of those four-letter titles can be removed from his name.

When viruses first started making their big appearance and fuss in the mid/late 80's

There used to be viruses on Amiga and Apple II as well as MS-DOS. The C64 could never be infected by a true virus because the entire OS runs directly from ROM. C64 OS updates meant replacing one or more ROM chips, and I believe there were two or three versions.

I remember tracking down the location looking at the contents and actually exploring the code when I could get to it . . . Again, I look at the content to understand what it is and is doing. Maybe that's me, IDK, but I agree with you.

I used to always double check my virus scanner; every file it complained about got googled. I confess I had assumed that someone with so many titles would do at least that much, and would know better than to blindly trust an automated scanner.

I don't regret following up on this story at all. It is proving to be very educational.

[MoonRise]

Re: Samsung installs keylogger on its laptop computers [FALSE]

Ahhh C64, I loved that machine! Yes I think it was 2 ROMs.