HP Laptops Hidden Keylogger Surveillance Software a Security Risk for Laptop Users

HP Laptops Hidden Keylogger Surveillance Software Update:

Do you own a Hewlett-Packard (HP) laptop?

Yes? Just stop whatever you are doing and listen carefully:

Your HP laptop may be silently recording everything you are typing on your keyboard.

HP is reported to have issued patches for 450+ commercial workstations, consumer laptops and other HP products after a HP Laptops Hidden Keylogger Surveillance Software was found to have been hidden in a driver.

While examining Windows Active Domain infrastructures, security researchers from the Switzerland-based security firm Modzero have discovered a built-in HP Laptops Hidden Keylogger Surveillance Software in an HP audio driver that spy on your all keystrokes.

Security researcher Michael Myng found the keylogging code in software drivers preinstalled on HP laptops to make the keyboard work.

What Is A Keylogger?

As the name suggests a keylogger / keystroke-logger usually refers to covert spying / monitoring software that tracks every key that you strike on your keyboard. This software is usually employed with malicious intent e.g. to collect account information, credit card numbers, user-names, passwords, and other private data.

HP computers come with Audio Chips developed by Conexant, a manufacturer of integrated circuits, who also develops drivers for its audio chips. Dubbed Conexant High-Definition (HD) Audio Driver, the driver helps the software to communicate with the hardware.

Read: Dell Latitude 7285 WiTricity Wireless Charging Laptops

Depending upon the computer model, HP also embeds some code inside the audio drivers delivered by Conexant that controls the special keys, such as Media keys offers on the keypad.

Keylogger Found Pre-Installed in HP Audio Driver

According to researchers, the flawed code (CVE-2017-8360) written by HP was poorly implemented, that not just captures the special keys but also records every single key-press and store them in a human-readable file.

This log file, which is located at the public folder C:\Users\Public\MicTray.log, contains a lot of sensitive information like users' login data and passwords, which is accessible to any user or 3rd party applications installed on the computer.

Therefore, a malware installed on or even a person with physical access to a PC can copy the log file and have access to all your keystrokes, extracting your sensitive data such as bank details, passwords, chat logs, and source code.

Modzero researchers question HP:

"So what's the point of a keylogger in an audio driver? Does HP deliver pre-installed spyware? Is HP itself a victim of a backdoored software that third-party vendors have developed on behalf of HP?"

In 2015, this keylogging feature was introduced as a new diagnostic feature with an update version 1.0.0.46 for HP audio drivers and existed on nearly 30 different HP Windows PC models shipped since then.

The issue of HP Laptops Hidden Keylogger Surveillance Software affects laptops in the EliteBook, ProBook, Pavilion and Envy ranges, among others. HP has issued a full list of affected devices with HP Laptops Hidden Keylogger Surveillance Software, dating back to 2012.
In a statement, the company said:

"HP uses Synaptics' touchpads in some of its mobile PCs and has worked with Synaptics to provide fixes to their error for impacted HP systems, available via the security bulletin on HP.com."

How to Check if You are Affected from HP Laptops Hidden Keylogger Surveillance Software and Prevent Yourself from HP Laptops Hidden Keylogger Surveillance Software.

If any of these two following files exist in your system, then this keylogger is present on your PC:

• C:\Windows\System32\MicTray64.exe
• C:\Windows\System32\MicTray.exe

If any of the above files exist, Modzero advises that you should either delete or rename the above-mentioned executable file in order to prevent the audio driver from collecting your keystrokes.
Researchers warned:

"Although the file is overwritten after each login, the content is likely to be easily monitored by running processes or forensic tools."
"If you regularly make incremental backups of your hard-drive - whether in the cloud or on an external hard-drive – a history of all keystrokes of the last few years could probably be found in your backups."

Also, if you make regular backups of your hard drive that include the Public folder, the keylogging file in question may also exist there with your sensitive data in plain text for anyone to see. So, wipe that as well.

Source: Mehran Post

Dell Latitude 7285 WiTricity Wireless Charging Laptops Introduced in Market

Dell Latitude 7285 WiTricity Wireless Charging Laptops Update: Dell announced on Tuesday (11th July 2017) its Dell Latitude 7285 WiTricity Wireless Charging Laptops, which the company says is the world's first laptop that can charge wirelessly.

To work, you'd need the Latitude 7825's wireless charging keyboard, as well as the wireless charging mat, which are both sold separately in a combo.

It's an identical concept to wireless charging smartphones, where you place a smartphone onto a wireless charging mat or dock (WiGig dock ecosystem).

With that in mind, the benefits of a wirelessly charging laptops aren't hugely significant, and it's more of a convenience at this stage. You still need to charge the laptop wherever the wireless charging mat is located.

Wireless charging also means you don't need to fumble around for a charging cable, and you can keep the charging cable out of sight. The wireless charging mat, however, would still need to be connected via cable to a power outlet.

Read: Laptop CPU Cooling Tips During Summer

Both the keyboard and the tablet of Dell Latitude 7285 WiTricity Wireless Charging Laptops have distinct batteries. Basically, the keyboard of Dell Latitude 7285 WiTricity Wireless Charging Laptops supports wireless charging for the tablet and there is no other way to separately charge the tablet. If you dock the tablet to the keyboard, the charging mat will first charge the tablet and then the keyboard.

Dell says that the wireless charging mat isn't designed to be used on a metal surface, as the wireless charging technology it uses involves magnetism. If you want to use the wireless charging mat on a metal surface, you'd have to place it two inches up on a non-metallic stand.

Apart from its wireless charging feature, Dell Latitude 7285 WiTricity Wireless Charging Laptops is a 2-in-1 detachable laptop similar to Microsoft's Surface Pro laptops.

Unfortunately, like the Microsoft Surface Pro, you'd have to buy even the basic, non-wireless charging keyboard separately.

Dell's wirelessly charging Latitude 7825 isn't quite the wireless future we're waiting for, but it's certainly a step in that direction.

Technology Behind Wireless Charging

Dell Latitude 7285 WiTricity Wireless Charging Laptops using WiTricity magnetic resonance technology. What makes WiTricity different from other forms of wireless charging is that it uses magnetic resonance technology, and this can both charge devices at a distance and through materials, and also doesn't require the device to be precisely aligned to the charging mat.

WiTricity's magnetic resonance technology was seamlessly integrated to enable the Latitude 7000 Series Detachable to be charged wirelessly over distance and with positional flexibility while keeping the 2-in-1 notebook's sleek design

Kirk Schell, Senior Vice President, Commercial Client Solutions, Dell said:

"It's our mission to drive workforce transformation by providing user experiences that increase productivity as the world becomes more dependent on mobile devices. Our vision of a no wires workspace is foundational to that mission because it enables the freedom and flexibility today's employees demand."

On this launching ocassion, Alex Gruzen, CEO, WiTricity said:

"This release is a huge milestone for the wireless charging industry as Dell brings the first 2-in-1 notebook with magnetic resonance to market, which is enabled by incorporating a high-quality resonator system designed by WiTricity into the Latitude 7285 and its remote wireless charging surface."

Alex Gruzen, CEO, WiTricity added:

"Dell's extensive knowledge of its customers and vision for a wireless workplace allowed us to uniquely collaborate and make convenient wireless charging a reality. The Latitude 7285 will allow users to experience freedom and efficiency in the work environment while catalyzing the wider adoption of wireless charging 2.0."

Dell Latitude 7285 Other Features

Some other features offered by the Dell Latitude 7285 are:

1. Four Transition Modes viz Tent, Laptop, Slate and Tablet with a detachable sharp IGZO 3K screen, weighing 1.5 pounds.

2. 22WHr of power via two options for keywords. Apart from the Wireless keyboard, there’s a Hybrid Adaptor too available that’s world’s first modular power device.

3. The Dell Latitude 7285 supports an active pen with less lag that aims to deliver an experience of working on a pen and a paper.

4. Intel Core I Series processors, Windows 10 Pro, M.2 256GB PCIe NVMe Class 35 Solid State Drive, 8GB RAM, 256GB Hard Drive.

5. Infrared Camera and Windows Hello for the password.

6. It also features a display of 2880 x 1920, making it essentially more or less 3K resolution-wise.

So a total cost of $1749 (Rs. 184,000 excluding taxes and shipping) with 50% of the cost attributed to the ‘wireless charging’ feature, would you consider buying one?

Let us know in the comments below.

Via: Mehran Post

Laptop CPU Cooling Tips During Summer Vacation 2017 for Better Performance

If your laptop is running hot, it’s not good for you or your precious gadget. If laptop is running hot, it’s not good for you or your precious gadget.

Notebooks are designed to pack the most in a limited amount of space. What happens when you squeeze together a bunch of computer parts together in the size of a small box? Everything either runs at sub-optimal capacity or overheats.

To solve that problem, laptop makers add heat vents and a bunch of fans to keep everything running smoothly. Unfortunately for us folks in Pakistan, the summer heat robs us of that convenience.

Here’s how you can keep your laptop cool and avoid overheating or damaging it.

No Laps or Uneven Surfaces

Despite their name, laptops should not be placed on your lap while you’re using them. It can potentially block the air vents, trapping the heat inside your notebook.

The best option here is to use a laptop stand or placing something underneath it to elevate the thing. You can use a small book for this but make sure it doesn’t block the vents.

Alternatively you can also place it on a smooth flat surface.

Buy a Cooling Pad or Fan It

If the first option didn’t work out well you can buy a cooling pad instead. If you’re the experimental type or on a budget (or both) you can try making one. There are plenty of guides on YouTube for a DIY cooling pad for laptops.

Another option is placing a standing/pedestal fan near your laptop if you can’t buy/make a cooling pad.

Clean it Inside Out

Ah dust, the enemy of all things electronic.

Pakistanis are all too familiar with the menace of dust gathering on stuff all the time. If dust gathers inside your laptop’s vents, fans it can block the airflow.

Be sure to get your laptop cleaned by a laptop service person or from a repair shop every once in a while. Once every two months should be enough.

If you’re on a budget or can’t be bothered to go to a laptop repair shop, you can try doing it yourself. Use a compressed can of air to spray short bursts of air inside the vents. You can also use your mom’s hairdryer for this too.

It is advised that you get it thoroughly cleaned out by an experienced repairman though.

Check and Adjust Settings

Reducing the workload on your laptop can also help lower the temperature. Changing your power plan to balanced or power saver decreases the performance of your notebook which can also reduce heat issues.

You can try other things as well such as:

Lowering your screen brightness
Unplugging unnecessary USB devices
Closing apps that use up CPU

An important thing to note here is that some laptops have a high speed/loud fan by default. This doesn’t necessarily mean that your laptop is overheating. If you get frequent crashes or abrupt shutdowns coupled with high fan speed, then you may have a problem on your hands.

Monitoring the fan speed of your laptop can help in this case. Download SpeedFan to monitor temperatures and fan speeds.

Leave it Idle

This one may be obvious but giving your laptop a rest can also help cool it down.

Frequently turning it off and on is not recommended. If you turned on your laptop for a quick edit on Microsoft Word or for checking your mail, you should leave it on for a while.

Have any other tips or ideas for cooling your laptop/notebook? Feel free to comment below.

Via: Mehran Post