Hundreds of HP computer models carry a deactivated keylogger

In November, a computer programmer spotted some strange code while trying to control a backlit keyboard on a Hewlett-Packard laptop.

It was a keylogger — which if turned on by a hacker is capable of monitoring every keystroke you type and save this activity to a file. It's a common hacking technique used to steal passwords, as Google recently noted in its year-long study on computer security. 

In this case, the code was not turned on, but TechCrunch nonetheless reported on programmer Michael Myng's blog post about finding the deactivated keylogger. In his memo, Myng wrote that he notified HP of the presence of the keylogger's presence. Read more...