Samsung caught selling new computers with a keylogger (update: it was a false positive)

User Comments: 50

1. March 30, 2011 5:34 PM
   Emin3nce said:

   "to find out how the computer is being used?"

   So basically when some poor samsung customer is fapping away on his samsung lappy, suddenly samsung have a picture of it? What about when they're browsing facebook? All of a sudden samsung have birthdays, friends names, phone numbers...

   **** off samsung.

   Reply
2. March 30, 2011 5:39 PM
   Nima304 said:

   Emin3nce said:

   "to find out how the computer is being used?"

   So basically when some poor samsung customer is fapping away on his samsung lappy, suddenly samsung have a picture of it? What about when they're browsing facebook? All of a sudden samsung have birthdays, friends names, phone numbers...

   **** off samsung.

   It's a keylogger; it can only see what you're typing. However, I'm worried about people's online banking accounts and their passwords sitting there in some Samsung database.

   Reply
3. March 30, 2011 5:49 PM
   Zecias said:

   Nima304 said:

   Emin3nce said:

   "to find out how the computer is being used?"

   So basically when some poor samsung customer is fapping away on his samsung lappy, suddenly samsung have a picture of it? What about when they're browsing facebook? All of a sudden samsung have birthdays, friends names, phone numbers...

   **** off samsung.

   It's a keylogger; it can only see what you're typing. However, I'm worried about people's online banking accounts and their passwords sitting there in some Samsung database.

   StarLogger can record every keystroke made on the system and it's also capable of taking screenshots.

   read more carefully

   Reply
4. March 30, 2011 5:53 PM
   chaboi390 said:

   wow, i feel abit more insecure by this,

   Just think about other manufacturers whos doing the same thing with out our consent.

   Abit freaky....

   Reply
5. March 30, 2011 5:58 PM
   motrin said:

   i'm going to reconsider buying Samsung products. i don't care if there not laptops. this is absurd!

   Reply
6. March 30, 2011 6:02 PM
   gwailo247, TechSpot Chancellor, said:

   this makes Sony's rootkit look like a minor nuisance.

   i say 2 or 3 billion would be an appropriate reminder for Samsung.

   Reply
7. March 30, 2011 6:04 PM
   Guest said:

   This is why you should immediately format any new computer and install the software yourself. God knows what else these manufacturers put in these machines.

   Reply
8. March 30, 2011 6:07 PM
   M1r said:

   ...and I nearly bought a samsung laptop few weeks ago...phew.

   Reply
9. March 30, 2011 6:26 PM
   ramonsterns said:

   These companies think they can pull this bullshit back and forth and pretend it's all fine and dandy like we should be used to it.

   **** off, Samsung. And any other company who thinks we're stupid sheep forced to buy their crap.

   Reply
10. March 30, 2011 6:38 PM
    Guest said:

    Oh that's nice. One more company to boycott.

    Reply
11. March 30, 2011 6:40 PM
    Guest said:

    How can you tell if your gaming console is not 'equiped' with a keylogger to snoop on hackers or would be hackers. With all the firmware updates they occasionaly get, it's easy to add one. Plus you can't run anti-malware on a console to find-out.....

    Reply
12. March 30, 2011 6:50 PM
    

    ---agissi---, TechSpot Paladin, said:

    I have that lappy!! The R540, I havnt had it long. Good thing the hard drive broke from a 2 foot fall off my bed and I installed a new drive.

    Reply
13. March 30, 2011 6:50 PM
    

    hellokitty[hk], I'm a TechSpot Evangelist, said:

    I wonder if they thought that no one would notice o.o.

    EDIT: You know what, I feel that there is no way they thought they could have gotten away with this.

    Wonder what they did.

    Reply
14. March 30, 2011 7:20 PM
    

    Kibaruk, TechSpot Paladin, said:

    I always make clean installs on new notebook/pc/netbook... lets leave it at computer, nothing ever works as good as you want when someone else has put their hands on YOUR computer and you avoid this kind of crap.

    Hope Samsung gets their ass sued for so much that they have to sell.

    Reply
15. March 30, 2011 7:25 PM
    BlueNoser said:

    Was contemplating the purchase of a Tab 2 but now, Asus EE Transformer gets my money.

    Thanks for the heads up

    Reply
16. March 30, 2011 7:58 PM
    Win7Dev said:

    I've always thought of Samsung as cheap and low quality.... Now I know why. This is one of the stupidest things that they could have done. It would surprise me if a few people were fired in the next week or two. Someone above also made a good point about consoles. There is much less to lose, but still its your privacy being invaded.

    Reply
17. March 30, 2011 8:12 PM
    

    AnonymousSurfer said:

    They will receive a lot of **** as they should for this.

    I think they under thought what keyloggers were generally used for, and not for "Their purpose".

    Man oh man are people stupid.

    Reply
18. March 30, 2011 8:16 PM
    Guest said:

    Something doesn't seem right with this story....

    The keylogger isn't cleverly hidden and would be picked up by security software, and I also don't think you can take the "confession" of a samsung support supervisor to be gospel truth.

    Why hasn't this been found on computers across the world rather than two computers (2) owned by the same person...who also happens to run a security consulting business?

    Where is the proof it came from Samsung, or the flipside, Where is the proof he didn't do it, or put on somewhere in the distribution process.

    Where are the screenshots showing identical install dates for the OS and the keylogger?

    I'm sure more info will come out but this seems very flaky to me.

    Reply
19. March 30, 2011 10:58 PM
    Guest said:

    Guest@09:16 PM "Where is the proof it came from Samsung"

    "After initially denying the claims, Samsung admitted to installing StarLogger on new computers..."

    That part sounds like a confession.. If they were sure it wasn't their fault, they'd have defended themselves and launched a counter-offensive to prove it was someone else or have launched an internal investigation in case it had been something within the company but not approved of by the company (ie: someone broke the rules). Probably cheaper to admit it and play innocent/naive than to launch investigation or risk independent audit. Just my speculations though, you may have a different perspective..

    Reply
20. March 30, 2011 11:43 PM
    

    spydercanopus said:

    Welcome to 1984

    Reply
21. March 31, 2011 12:26 AM
    Guest said:

    That does it!! I am a hbig fan of Samsung but now they can go stuff themselves when it comes to pc's. from now on, I wil have much less trust in them, dude you are right, these pc makers really think we are stupid dam anamals!!!! what a disappointment!

    Reply
22. March 31, 2011 1:16 AM
    Guest said:

    aaaand that's why I"m happy that I do clean installs on new computers, kind of a shame, I was really digging their latest series 9 laptops, but stuff like this would keep me from supporting a company that makes stupid fkn decisions...a keylogger, Really?? lolz

    Reply
23. March 31, 2011 1:24 AM
    Guest said:

    Never again will I purchase a Samsung product, TV or anything else. This is criminal.

    Reply
24. March 31, 2011 1:44 AM
    nismo91 said:

    so since keyloggers are pretty much hidden, how do i check for it? running processes? installed programs? or active connections? this is very bad news for Samsung, but they deserve it if they really did it.

    -edit: cnet shows how to remove starlogger if you have one.

    Reply
25. March 31, 2011 2:16 AM
    Guest said:

    Formatting new laptops doesn't really help. The keylogger could come with your "chipset driver", your "display driver" or whatever apps the manufacturer is offering you to "increase performance of the system and battery life".

    Reply

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