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Acer May Be Bugging Computers

Posted by Zonk on from the might-want-to-look-into-this dept.

tomjen writes "What if a well known laptop company had silently placed an ActiveX Control on their computers that allowed any webpage to execute any program? Well Acer apparently has and they have (based on the last modified-by date of the file) been doing this since 1998. 'Checking the interface of the control reveals it has a method named "Run()" as shown below. The method supports parameters "Drive", "FileName", and "CmdLine". Isn't it strange for a control that's marked "safe for scripting" to allow a method that is suggestive of possible abuse?'"

8 of 396 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Phew! by ResidntGeek · · Score: 0, Troll

    And I'm sure you have no problem being the reason everyone hates Americans. Other people try not to be like that.

    --
    ResidntGeek
  2. Re:to those of us uneducated by NosTROLLdamus · · Score: -1, Troll

    format

  3. Re:Phew! by shoolz · · Score: -1, Troll

    I await the day when Linux is so ubiquitous that lusers like you are waving your dicks about how many Windows b0xen you have in your netw0rk. STFU. We've heard it before.

  4. Re:So can this be neutralized? by codepunk · · Score: -1, Troll

    Yes delete kernel32.dll and install something more appropriate.

    --


    Got Code?
  5. moD down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    website Third, you of the founders of Other members in

  6. Re:Phew! by TapeCutter · · Score: 0, Troll

    Someone please mod this agressive idiot to hell....please.

    --
    And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
  7. Re:to those of us uneducated by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Yeah, but can you use ftp in conjunction with this Run() thing to download a specific URL?

    I thought ftp was an interactive program where you have to ftp somehost, then provide login information, set BIN or ASCII modes, then cd to the directory, then finally GET your files.

    There may be another way to get remote executables from the command line, but I don't think this is one of then.

  8. Re:I'm not impressed with this IE7 "improvement" by dangitman · · Score: 0, Troll

    What would happen to sites like YouTube or movie sites, video, audio sites, if all browsers are suddenly rendered incapable of supporting plugins.

    Somehow other browsers and OSes manage to support plug-ins without using Active X.

    --
    ... and then they built the supercollider.