Samsung Releases Spyware Installed Laptops

It has emerged that Samsung's laptops have clandestine spyware application pre-installed to watch as well as intercept users' operations, one of them being logging their keystrokes, devoid of taking their permission, stated smh.com.au dated March 31, 2011.

Stated security consultant Mohamed Hassan at Canada-based NetSec Consulting Corp, after he purchased the computer models R540 and R525 from Samsung he discovered that they had clandestine software normally called Spyware, which read all the keystrokes of an end-user even from PCs that were password-protected. Hassan told that it wasn't possible to detect the software that became active every time the PC started, reported smh.com.au.

And soon after Hassan made his discovery, he called Samsung, which, however, denied his allegations initially. But when Hassan persisted, the Customer Support came on board and said that the company loaded the keyloggers for acquiring details of customer usage.

Thus for purchasers of Samsung's products who want to know whether there's malware on their PCs, the method is to examine for the "c:\windows\SL folder in C drive. Gadgetsteria.com reported this in news on March 30, 2011.

Says Hassan, the spyware can be compared with the rootkit from Sony BMG, which during 2005, loaded an application onto its audio CDs for managing digital rights so that copying of the CDs could be prevented; however, it also loaded "rootkit" onto consumers' computers. Rootkit is characteristically concealed software, which cyber-criminals utilize for hiding malware. When several anti-virus agencies described Sony's application as malicious software, Sony acquiesced for withdrawing the rootkit-contaminated CDs. Forbes.com published this on March 30, 2011.

Furthermore, on March 31, 2011, Samsung told forbes.com that it was internally probing consumers' complaints that spyware was already installed on the Samsung computers before their purchase. Forbes.com reported this.

Said Jason Redmond, Spokesman for Samsung, to PC World a tech magazine, the company had taken up the issue of allegations that it was extremely serious about. Smh.com.au reported this.

Nonetheless, incase Hassan's allegations turn out true, Samsung maybe dragged to court and made accountable for any information, it allegedly gathered, that land up with anyone maliciously inclined. Techland.time.com reported this on March 30, 2011.

Related article: Samsung Shipped Malicious Digital Picture Frames

» SPAMfighter News - 4/11/2011