Company backtracks on claims that malware was being preloaded onto PCs at factories
Microsoft researchers have gone back on earlier claims that they uncovered malware being installed on PCs during the production process.
Earlier this week Microsoft researchers claimed they had discovered insecurities in supply chain processes at PC manufacturing factories in China, which meant that malware could be installed on a PC while it was being built in the factory.
The company purchased 20 PCs and found malware already installed on four of them.
Contrary to its earlier claims the malware was most likely installed by a "distributor, transporter, or reseller," the company's Digital Crimes Unit has now said in a statement.
Among the malware discovered was Nitol, which targets bank account details.
The discoveries resulted in Microsoft gaining authorisation to shut down a domain - 3322org - which it said was running hundreds of different varieties of malware.
"We found malware capable of remotely turning on an infected computer's microphone and video camera, potentially giving a cybercriminal eyes and ears into a victim's home or business," Microsoft said at the time.
"Additionally, we found malware that records a person's every key stroke, allowing cybercriminals to steal a victim's personal information. The Nitol botnet malware itself carries out distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks that are able to cripple large networks by overloading them with Internet traffic, and creates hidden access points on the victim's computer to allow even more malware - or anything else for that matter - to be loaded onto an infected computer," Richard Boscovich, sssistant general counsel, Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit, added.
Source: http://malware.cbronline.com/news/malware-was-not-installed-at-factories-says-microsoft-191912
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