“Keylogger‘s are used in IT organizations to troubleshoot technical problems with computers and business networks. They can also be used to monitor the network usage of people without their direct knowledge; they are sometimes used as part of home parental controls. Finally, malicious individuals may use keyloggers on public computers to steal passwords or credit card information.” Reported Bradley Mitchell.
Last week, keylogger was discovered on over 460 different models of HP laptops. The keylogger is disabled by default but is easily enabled under the Windows Registry. Security researcher, Michael Myng, discovered keylogger in an attempt to figure out how to control HP’s laptop keyboard black light. What he discovered has sent a shockwave throughout the industry. The keylogger was capable of recording every keystroke made by a single user. Thankfully, most are disabled by default, as previously mentioned. However, it would be a very simple change to enable it which could make your PC vulnerable to a potential hacker.
The BBC reports that HP has issued a software patch to remove the keylogger. “However, there are over 460 models of HP laptop affected, including those in the EliteBook, ProBook, Pavilion, and Envy ranges, and the keylogger has been present since 2012. The software patch support page lists all models carrying the disabled keylogger.”
HP initially allowed keylogger to be installed on so many laptops to act as a debugging tool on the drive. It was simply an oversight, then disabled but not removed. Leaving several laptops in danger of being hacked.
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