Security Bug in Dell PCs Shipped Since 8/15
Summary: All new Dell laptops and desktops shipped from August 2015 onward carried a root certificate named "eDellRoot" that also included its own private cryptographic key, letting attackers sign phony certificates for any HTTPS site and intercept, read and modify a vulnerable Dell system's web traffic on open networks. Dell said the certificate was meant to speed online support by identifying the PC's service tag, is issuing removal instructions and will stop pre-installing it, while researcher Joe Nord is credited with finding the flaw and the University of Michigan's Zakir Durumeric built a checker at zmap.io/dell.
What's compelling: Dell would not say how many machines shipped in the vulnerable state, but IDC put the company at a little more than 10 million computers worldwide in the third quarter of 2015 alone - and the exposure is anyone on the same public WiFi who can impersonate any site to those users.
Read the original at Krebs on Security ↗
- Topics
- Vulnerabilities & Patching
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