A user discovered commercial-grade keyloggers (StarLogger) preinstalled on brand-new, Samsung laptops (model R540).
The StarLogger tool found in those computers are capable of recording every keystroke through the lifespan of the computer--even within secure, protected networks. The keylogger will secretly email the captured data along with screen shots to a specified email address.
Once the user found the keylogger on the first, brand-new laptop, he immediately went out and purchased another to test and see if it also contained a keylogger--it did. The user, Mohamed Hassan, reported his findings in Mich Kabay’s Security Strategies newsletter. Hassan also reported that when he initially contacted Samsung, they denied their involvement with the device--the company later admitted that they were responsible.