← Autodidact Archive · Original Dissent · Blond Knight
Thread ID: 20514 | Posts: 6 | Started: 2005-10-05
2005-10-05 02:12 | User Profile
I am asking our more tech savy members if the allegations in the following article are true.
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Note: The story on Mr. Turners website has pictures of the suspected hardware.
[url]http://www.halturnershow.com/KeystrokeLoggersInAllNewComputers.html[/url]
Sunday, October 2, 2005 10:00 PM EDT
GOVERNMENT AND COMPUTER MANUFACTURERS CAUGHT INSTALLING HARD-WIRED KEYSTROKE LOGGERS INTO ALL NEW LAPTOP COMPUTERS! Devices capture everything you ever type, then can send it via your ethernet card to the Dept. of Homeland Security without your knowledge, consent or a search warrant each time you log onto the internet! Freedom Of Information Act Requests For Explanation From DHS, refused.
I was opening up my almost brand new laptop, to replace a broken PCMCIA slot riser on the motherboard. As soon as I got the keyboard off, I noticed a small cable running from the keyboard connection underneath a piece of metal protecting the motherboard.
I figured "No Big Deal", and continued with the dissasembly. But when I got the metal panels off, I saw a small white heatshink-wrapped package. Being ever-curious, I sliced the heatshrink open. I found a little circuit board inside.
Being an EE by trade, this piqued my curiosity considerably. On one side of the board, one Atmel AT45D041A four megabit Flash memory chip.
On the other side, one Microchip Technology PIC16F876 Programmable Interrupt Controller, along with a little Fairchild Semiconductor CD4066BCM quad bilateral switch.
Looking further, I saw that the other end of the cable was connected to the integrated ethernet board.
What could this mean? I called the manufacturer's tech support about it, and they said, and I quote, "The intregrated service tag identifier is there for assisting customers in the event of lost or misplaced personal information." He then hung up.
A little more research, and I found that that board spliced in between the keyboard and the ethernet chip is little more than a Keyghost hardware keylogger.
The reasons a computer manufacturer would put this in their laptops can only be left up to your imagination. It would be very impractical to hand-anylze the logs, and very CPU-intensive to do so on a computer for every person that purchased a laptop. Why are these keyloggers here? I recently almost found out.
I called the police, as having a keylogger unknown to me in my laptop is a serious offense. They told me to call the Department of Homeland Security. At this point, I am in disbelief. Why would the DHS have a keylogger in my laptop? It was surreal.
So I called them, and they told me to submit a Freedom of Information Act request. This is what I got back: .
Under the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) the only items exempt from public disclosure are items relating to "law enforcement tools and techniques" and "items relating to national security."
The real life implications of this are plain: Computer manufacturers appear to be cooperating with the Department of Homeland Security to make every person who buys a new computer subject to immediate, unrestricted government recording of everything they do on those computers! EVERYTHING!
This information can be sent to DHS, online, without your knowledge or consent, without a search warrant or even probable cause! That's why this device is hard-wired directly into the ethernet card, which communicates over the internet!
I am not certain how long this information will be permitted to remain online for all the world to see before the government takes some type of action to attempt to have it removed from public view. I URGE you to take copy of this page immediately and spread this information to everyone you know immediately! The more people who find out about this, the more can protect themselves and raise a HUGE outcry to force government and computer manufacturers to immediately CEASE installing these devices in new computers!
-- Hal Turner [url]http://www.HalTurnerShow.com[/url]
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2005-10-05 02:22 | User Profile
Blond Knight,
Well I do not know about this story, but it is true that all new cell phones have GPS locators in them.
2005-10-05 02:45 | User Profile
It's a hoax.
2005-10-05 03:02 | User Profile
madrussian,
Well I kind of thought so. [QUOTE=madrussian]It's a hoax.[/QUOTE]
2005-10-05 03:30 | User Profile
"A little more research, and I found that that board spliced in between the keyboard and the ethernet chip is little more than a Keyghost hardware keylogger."
Keyghost is a tiny thing that is plugged in between the keyboard and a computer. It records keystrokes (great way to steal someone's password) and there's no way the computer user can know its there, short of physically finding.
I think someone decided to take this idea one step further and make up stuff about the ethernet access. Computers with built-in microphones or video cameras are also ripe for spy scares. But, I'm pretty sure no computer company would trash its reptutation by secrety doing this.
If this were not a hoax, you'd know about it reliably because it couldn't be kept secret. For example, it's well known that laser printers print hidden ID codes on paper so the feds will know what printer printed something.
2005-10-05 03:36 | User Profile
This is a hoax. A good resource to check stuff out like this is Snopes.com. I found this link talking about this case:(be sure to read the comments, they've got good info in them.)
[url="http://www.ioerror.us/2005/06/17/keylogger-found-in-dell-laptop/"]keylogger[/url]
** [url="http://www.ioerror.us/2005/06/17/keylogger-found-in-dell-laptop/"]Keylogger found in Dell laptop is a hoax[/url] **
By: IO ERROR
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**Update**: The answer is, they probably wouldnââ¬â¢t. This is most likely fake. The images appear to have been taken from [url="http://www.dansdata.com/keyghost.htm"]here[/url], and the letter from Homeland Security is a pretty decent Photoshop job based on [url="http://rawstory.com/exclusives/byrne/homeland_security_responds_jeff_gannon_404.htm"]this[/url].
However, Dell *has* been [url="http://www.skippy.net/blog/2005/06/09/security-through-stupidity/"]asking customers what they plan to use their computers for[/url], claiming they are required to do so by the PATRIOT Act.
Finally, does your laptop contain a keylogger? If youââ¬â¢re feeling adventurous, open it up, look around, and [url="http://www.ioerror.us/contact/"]report back[/url]. If you find one, pictures would be really nice.
**Update 18 June**: [url="http://www.snopes.com/computer/internet/dellbug.asp"]Snopes[/url] has picked this one up as well. And my request for pictures of a keylogger in your laptop still standsââ¬Â¦
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** 13 Responses to Keylogger found in Dell laptop is a hoax [url="http://www.ioerror.us/2005/06/17/keylogger-found-in-dell-laptop/#reply"] ûû[/url] **
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**10 Comments**
[list=1] [*] Comment by Dan | [url="http://www.ioerror.us/2005/06/17/keylogger-found-in-dell-laptop/#comment-1374"]2005/06/18 at 14:07:49[/url]
Rediculous. You can even see the blurred title of ââ¬ÅThe Honorable Louise Slaughterââ¬Â if you compare them side by side.
If I was gonn go to the trouble to fake something like that, Iââ¬â¢d at least have copied and pasted letters already in that scanââ¬Â¦ the text resolution in the body is totally different then the header.
[] Comment by [url="http://littlelioness.net/"]Fiona[/url] | [url="http://www.ioerror.us/2005/06/17/keylogger-found-in-dell-laptop/#comment-1405"]2005/06/20 at 07:54:51[/url]
When I bought my dell laptop 2 years ago (in Australia) I got asked some crap about not using it to do with weapons, and was told i couldnââ¬â¢t use or resell it or something in Afghanistan and some other countries.
[] Comment by [url="http://www.skeltoac.com/"]Andy[/url] | [url="http://www.ioerror.us/2005/06/17/keylogger-found-in-dell-laptop/#comment-1406"]2005/06/20 at 10:30:39[/url]
Dell isnââ¬â¢t the only company subject to U.S. tech export laws. Theyââ¬â¢re just the most responsible about following them. [*] Comment by [url="http://www.liewcf.com/"]LcF[/url] | [url="http://www.ioerror.us/2005/06/17/keylogger-found-in-dell-laptop/#comment-1428"]2005/06/22 at 22:03:55[/url]
I think it is a hoax.
[url="http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000317047049/"]http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000317047049/[/url] [*] Comment by Max | [url="http://www.ioerror.us/2005/06/17/keylogger-found-in-dell-laptop/#comment-1452"]2005/06/23 at 20:23:51[/url]
Well, whenever I come across a conspiracy theory I am instantly skeptical. The first thing I noticed was the description of the circuit board. While the chips mentioned are probably fully real, the detail of description makes it sound to me like an attempt to confuse.
Then I looked at the attached letter. This is the clencher, look at the letterhead. Pay close attention to the symbol. First of all the symbol has no visible writing on it. I also didnââ¬â¢t think it looked like a government symbol. To verify this I simply went to the Department of Homeland Security website (find it using google). Look in the upper right hand corner of the page. Do you see a resemblance to the symbol on the letter? I donââ¬â¢tââ¬Â¦
Furthermore, to finalize it completely, look at the ââ¬Åletterââ¬Â again. Under ââ¬ÅDepartment of Homeland Securityââ¬Â on the letter head ââ¬ÅUnited States Secret Serviceââ¬Â is written. The Secret Service (I just realized the initials of the Secret Service is SS, thatââ¬â¢s a little scaryââ¬Â¦) is in NO WAY affiliated with Freedom of Information online. The Secret Service, or as I will refer to them from now on, the SS has 2 and only 2 jobs. The obvious one being protecting high level political figures, i.e. the President, and the lesser known one being combatting counterfeit money. A letter concerning computer information freedom would have come from Andy Purdy, the IAIP National Cyber Security Director, assuming it came from a high level politician (I call BS on that one).
So here is my conclusion, itââ¬â¢s as likely for this to be true as ice cream in Hell, as Jamie Hyneman says, this myth is busted. Any way you want to put it, in my mind at least, there is absolutely no way this is true. So rest easy, big brother may be watching but not by keyloggers in laptops. [*] Comment by Josh | [url="http://www.ioerror.us/2005/06/17/keylogger-found-in-dell-laptop/#comment-1453"]2005/06/23 at 21:40:00[/url]
Another similarity between the letters - that shouldnââ¬â¢t be there: both have the exact same file ID, 20050112-20050119.
Doing a little more research, I found that the symbol in the upper left belongs to none other then the US Secret Service. [*] Comment by Jess | [url="http://www.ioerror.us/2005/06/17/keylogger-found-in-dell-laptop/#comment-1489"]2005/06/25 at 09:59:14[/url]
I used to work in a large communications company that provided Dell customer with 3 months free of iternet or other promotion if they used our service. So DELL was providing us with CC(Credit card) numbers without customers consent/permission unfortunatly these people were pissed because they only provided Dell with CC # for purchasing PC and Dell just apoligized but that doesnt solve the problemââ¬Â¦Ã¢â¬Â¦Now where does this fit inââ¬Â¦..It is extremely possible that DELL is putting Keyloggers or tracers into peoples computers I have friends in family into media and so far what they see is truth but it is just the begginningââ¬Â¦Ã¢â¬Â¦..I live in canada so unfortuantly we arent covered by freedom of information act but the way things are going we may be soon or in futureââ¬Â¦Ã¢â¬Â¦Fo all of you that think you are fine and dandy I be watchful until we can figure out this one but like I said so far few things have matched and shown truthââ¬Â¦Ã¢â¬Â¦Ã¢â¬Â¦Dont want to believe then go back to bed and dont go pass go and drink coffee just live in dream world but Im not gonna sit here and BS peopleââ¬Â¦Ã¢â¬Â¦Ã¢â¬Â¦Ã¢â¬Â¦Ã¢â¬Â¦Ã¢â¬Â¦Ã¢â¬Â¦Ã¢â¬Â¦Ã¢â¬Â¦..
[*] Comment by Jess | [url="http://www.ioerror.us/2005/06/17/keylogger-found-in-dell-laptop/#comment-1494"]2005/06/25 at 13:06:05[/url]
Making a formal complaint and having media look into it is not good buisness for Dell. Unfortunatly if this is false why arent their lawyers(like any large company) suing for Slander as well as frauding a signature or using it for fraudulent purposes. every company is based on income and without customer there is nothing and remeber this when you have a bad expierence you tell people as well you remeber it for 12 years as to a good expierence last 4-5 years in memory. Last thing there is truth to this story as well as Bs and I will post and let people know the final verdict as everything should be wrapped up by the end of the month maxââ¬Â¦Ã¢â¬Â¦Ã¢â¬Â¦.
Never fight with an idiot folks might not be able to tell the difference!!
[*] Comment by Matt | [url="http://www.ioerror.us/2005/06/17/keylogger-found-in-dell-laptop/#comment-2174"]2005/07/31 at 20:58:15[/url]
I would be as willing to be as sceptical as the rest of you. However the most cogent point raised by the sceptics is that the Secret Service is nothing to do with the Department for Homeland Security, this is entirely WRONG.
As of 2003 the Secret Service was incorporated into the Department for Homeland Security under the 2002 passage of the Homeland Security Bill!!! [check the secret service website!]
Also if the author of this article were to make a request for information it would go to the Secret service. As ââ¬Åcomputer fraudââ¬Â is a part of their mandate
see below:
ââ¬ÅThe United States Secret Service is mandated by statute and executive order to carry out two significant missions: protection and criminal investigations. The Secret Service protects the President and Vice President, their families, heads of state, and other designated individuals; investigates threats against these protectees; protects the White House, Vice Presidentââ¬â¢s Residence, Foreign Missions, and other buildings within Washington, D.C.; and plans and implements security designs for designated National Special Security Events. The Secret Service also investigates violations of laws relating to counterfeiting of obligations and securities of the United States; financial crimes that include, but are not limited to, access device fraud, financial institution fraud, identity theft, computer fraud; and computer-based attacks on our nationââ¬â¢s financial, banking, and telecommunications infrastructure.ââ¬Â
-http://www.secretservice.gov/mission.shtml
Therefore everything within the article is at the very least, technicaly true. This article is either true, or a **very** well researched hoax.
The only ââ¬Åpossible mistakeââ¬Â, is that the ââ¬Åfile numbersââ¬Â shown in the letter, are actually meant to refer to the specific Secret Service files requested. The ââ¬Åfile numberââ¬Â is NOT a reference number which corresponds to the ââ¬Åapplicantsââ¬Â Freedom of Information Act [FOIA] request (an error that could have easily been made by a hoaxer).
According to what I have found these file numbers actually refer to Secret Service press pass files, concerning some sort of White House security scandal, see:
[for story]http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/5/16/9539/40363
[for ref. to file numbers and contents]
[url="http://rawstory.rawprint.com/0405/guckert_access_1"]http://rawstory.rawprint.com/0405/guckert_access_1[/url]
On the balance of probabilities I would say this is probably a hoax due to the file number discrepencies.
However, I could be wrong!
If this is some sort of hoaxing joke, what would be the point of going to so much effort?
But I still think it would be cool if it were true though!!!! :>
[*] Comment by [url="http://www.keyghost.com/"]Theo[/url] | [url="http://www.ioerror.us/2005/06/17/keylogger-found-in-dell-laptop/#comment-2211"]2005/08/03 at 08:03:34[/url]
Hi all
Someone told us this internet hoax was getting some attention.
Although the pictures shown are of the first KeyGhost Hardware Keylogger device, they have been lifted from a product review done back in March 2000. Anyone that has taken time to open up their laptop will find that there is very little space to fit anything else inside, let alone a keylogger circuit of that size. Facts about our hardware keyloggers for PS/2 keyboards, and the worldââ¬â¢s first USB hardware keylogger (for PC and Mac) is available here:[url="http://www.keyghost.com/"] http://www.keyghost.com[/url] [/list]