Samsung to probe spyware claims
Samsung is to investigate a security professional’s claim that it installed software capable of recording most computer activities on at least some models of its notebook models.
The researcher, Mohamed Hassan of NetSec Consulting in Toronto, wrote in a technology trade publication on Wednesday that he had bought a new Samsung computer for his own use and discovered it contained independently made software called StarLogger after scanning it with a commercial security program.
He returned it to the store and bought a different Samsung model from a competing retailer, only to find the same program, Mr Hassan told the Financial Times. According to those who sell it, StarLogger can record all keystrokes and also take screenshots of what appears on the display of computers running some versions of Microsoft Windows. It can be instructed to email this data to any designated address, although Mr Hassan said he did not determine if one had been set up.
