Dell Laptop Discovered to Contain

[k9zmd]

I read it on the Internet, so it must be true. Check it out at this link. (http://virus.org.ua/unix/keylog/klog.htm) There are some nice, color photographs for those from the "show me" state.

The gist of the story is, an electronics engineer chanced to discover that his almost new Dell laptop contained a tiny printed circuit board connected between the keyboard and the integrated ethernet board. Examining it closely, he determined that the cute little thing was a "keyghost" hardware keylogger.

A Dell support technician, when queried about this undocumented surveillance device, replied, "The intregrated service tag identifier is there for assisting customers in the event of lost or misplaced personal information." The tech then hung up, so no further questions could be asked.

The local cops referred the EE to the Department of Homeland Security, who subsequently blew off his FOIA request by saying that information was exempt from disclosure.

The rest of the story, I leave to your imaginations. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/cool.gif

[AE6IP]

very old urban myth. (http://www.snopes.com/computer/internet/dellbug.asp)

[ka5piu]

Hello.

When our herd of happy Arabs heard about this, everybody went wild!
A bit of research brought this up.
http://www.dansdata.com/keyghost.htm
Notice the pictures?
But, to be sure, hundreds of machines were inspected.
In the end, nothing, nada, zip.

[W1GUH]

Ok, having looked at all the links...two say, "yep, it's there", the other one says, "Don't worry, be happy." #(Gross paraphrase).

Now...the one that calls it an urban legend offers absolutely no reason to believe them, the seem to say, "Just trust us." while taking a swipe at "conspiracy theorists." (Doesn't do much for credibility)

But, the other two, the ones that say, "Worry...be paranoid" offer solid evidence. #The letter that says this information is exempt from being disclosed is particularly worrisome. #Not to mention the automatic response of local LEO's to "contact DHS."

What's a person to believe? #Yep, these things are definitely credible in that they are certainly well within the technology of the last several years. And with the Patriot Act, it's pretty obvious that certain segments of the government believe that such a thing is not only legal, but badly needed these days.

Anybody have any more credible info on this?

[AE6IP]

Would you believe Dell's denial? (http://direct2dell.com/one2one/archive/2006/07/14/505.aspx)

It's a hoax. Look at Engadget's article on it. People there demonstrate that the letter was a photoshop job, that the keylogger in question wouldn't fit the laptop in question, and several other aspects.

[w3wn]

Quote[/b] (AE6IP @ Oct. 04 2007,01:57)]Would you believe Dell's denial? (http://direct2dell.com/one2one/archive/2006/07/14/505.aspx)

It's a hoax. #Look at Engadget's article on it. People there demonstrate that the letter was a photoshop job, that the keylogger in question wouldn't fit the laptop in question, and several other aspects.
Now, now.

Never confuse a conspiracy theorist with the facts.

[k9zmd]

OK folks, ya'll can stop sending me the email and pm's with offers for slightly used bridges. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif