Dell installs self-signed root certificate on laptops
13 replies, posted
[QUOTE]Dell laptops are coming preloaded with a self-signed root digital certificate that lets attackers spy on traffic to any secure website.
The reports first surfaced on Reddit and were soon confirmed by other users and security experts on Twitter and blogs. The root certificate, which has the power of a certificate authority on the laptops it's installed on, comes bundled with its corresponding private key, making the situation worse.With the private key, which is now available online, anyone can generate a certificate for any website that will be trusted by browsers such as Internet Explorer and Google Chrome that use the Windows certificate store on affected laptops. Security experts have already generated proof-of-concept certificates for *.google.com and bankofamerica.com.
The certificate, which is called eDellRoot, was added to Dell consumer and commercial devices starting in August with the intention of providing better customer support, Dell said in an emailed statement: "When a PC engages with Dell online support, the certificate provides the system service tag allowing Dell online support to immediately identify the PC model, drivers, OS, hard drive, etc. making it easier and faster to service."
The certificate introduced an unintended vulnerability, so Dell is now providing customers with removal instructions and will not add it to new devices going forward, the company said. "No personal information has been collected or shared by Dell without the customer’s permission."
Mark Loman, the creator of the HitmanPro anti-malware program, confirmed that the self-signed certificate is the same on all affected Dell laptops and has the same private key.
His company, SurfRight, is already tracking hundreds of systems that have the eDellRoot certificate installed.
"We have Hitman on high alert to take the certificate off machines soon," Loman said via Skype.The security expert believes that Dell or Microsoft should act soon, before malicious hackers start attacking users. Microsoft has the ability to push an update to Windows systems to remove the certificate.
In order to exploit the issue, attackers must be in a position to intercept traffic from an affected Dell laptop and a HTTPS-enabled website. They can then act as proxy between the laptop and the website by re-encrypting the traffic with a rogue certificate that's signed with the eDellRoot private key.
This is known as a man-in-the-middle attack and can be executed over public Wi-Fi networks or by hacking into routers.
Attackers could also use the eDellRoot private key to sign malware. This could bypass certain application whitelisting products or at the very least could make User Access Control prompts in Windows less scary, Loman said.
"If I were a black-hat hacker, I'd immediately go to the nearest big city airport and sit outside the international first class lounges and eavesdrop on everyone's encrypted communications," said Robert Graham, the CEO of security firm Errata Security in a blog post. "I suggest 'international first class,' because if they can afford $10,000 for a ticket, they probably have something juicy on their computer worth hacking."
Graham describes this as a "drop-everything and panic sort of bug."This incident is similar to one that involved Lenovo preloading an adware program called Superfish on some of its laptops. The Superfish adware installed a self-signed root CA certificate on all laptops it was preloaded on, exposing users to man-in-the-middle attacks.
It's not yet clear how many models are affected. Users reported finding it on Dell XPS 15 and XPS 13 models, but also on a Latitude and an Inspiron 5000 series model.
Users who believe they might be affected should visit a test website set up by security expert Kenneth White. If the website loads with no certificate error, it's a sign that the computer has the eDellRoot certificate installed.
Removing the certificate from Windows can be done with the Microsoft Management Console. To open it, users can press the windows key + r, type certlm.msc and hit Run. The certificate should be under Trusted Root Certificate Authorities > Certificates.[/QUOTE]
Source: [url]http://www.computerworld.com/article/3008113/security/dell-installs-self-signed-root-certificate-on-laptops-endangers-users-privacy.html[/url]
fuck me i just bough a dell inspiron i7559-763blk :(
[QUOTE=omggrass;49175034]fuck me i just bough a dell inspiron i7559-763blk :([/QUOTE]
Well, you can remove it so not all hope is lost.
[QUOTE]Users who believe they might be affected should visit a [URL="https://bogus.lessonslearned.org/"]test website set up by security expert Kenneth White.[/URL] If the website loads with no certificate error, it's a sign that the computer has the eDellRoot certificate installed.
Removing the certificate from Windows can be done with the Microsoft Management Console. To open it, users can press the windows key + r, type certlm.msc and hit Run. The certificate should be under Trusted Root Certificate Authorities > Certificates.[/QUOTE]
Seriously, has a law been passed that makes this shit legal or has it just not been publicized up until now? Because in the last year or so we've seen an influx of news articles with shit like this.
I want to know why they insist on pre installing root kits/root certificates? Are they losing revenue to things like tablets that are making them resort to other means of revenue?
I'm using a laptop that had it. I just removed it.
I'm really confused about stuff like this. Lenovo was caught doing shit like this before but would install some shit program but it only seemed to be Windows affected. Does this mean that by running Linux, this issue is null?
[QUOTE=apierce1289;49175575]I want to know why they insist on [B]pre installing root kits/root certificates?[/B] Are they losing revenue to things like tablets that are making them resort to other means of revenue?[/QUOTE]
There is a big difference between willingly install malware on a users PC like lenovo does, and accidentally leaking a private key.
Sure its really fucking stupid what Dell did, but they aren't actively trying to fuck you over.
If you do a clean reinstall on the computer you also remove the certificate.
Most companies that buy Dell laptops wont run into this problem but consumers might.
[QUOTE=darkgodmaste;49177616]If you do a clean reinstall on the computer you also remove the certificate.
Most companies that buy Dell laptops wont run into this problem but consumers might.[/QUOTE]
We are assuming it don't have a chip installed on the board in which case the only way to be sure is to nuke it from orbit.
[QUOTE=apierce1289;49175575]I want to know why they insist on pre installing root kits/root certificates? Are they losing revenue to things like tablets that are making them resort to other means of revenue?[/QUOTE]
This certificate was used so Dell's support website could read your service tag without any plugins / programs installed. They meant well, but kinda fucked up on the implementation
Their response has been pretty good, quickly publishing instructions, a removal tool, and soon pushing out an update to remove the certificate
Dell's response
[url]http://en.community.dell.com/dell-blogs/direct2dell/b/direct2dell/archive/2015/11/23/response-to-concerns-regarding-edellroot-certificate[/url]
[quote]Today we became aware that a certificate (eDellRoot), installed by our Dell Foundation Services application on our PCs, unintentionally introduced a security vulnerability. The certificate was implemented as part of a support tool and intended to make it faster and easier for our customers to service their system. Customer security and privacy is a top concern and priority for Dell; we deeply regret that this has happened and are taking steps to address it.
The certificate is not malware or adware. Rather, it was intended to provide the system service tag to Dell online support allowing us to quickly identify the computer model, making it easier and faster to service our customers. This certificate is not being used to collect personal customer information. It’s also important to note that the certificate will not reinstall itself once it is properly removed using the recommended Dell process.
We have posted instructions to permanently remove the certificate from your system here. We will also push a software update starting on November 24 that will check for the certificate, and if detected remove it. Commercial customers who reimaged their systems without Dell Foundation Services are not affected by this issue. Additionally, the certificate will be removed from all Dell systems moving forward.
Your trust is important to us and we are actively working to address this issue. We thank customers such as Hanno Böck, Joe Nord and Kevin Hicks, aka rotorcowboy, who brought this to our attention. If you ever find a potential security vulnerability in any Dell product or software, we encourage you to visit this site to contact us immediately.[/quote]
also worth mentioning most big sites that would have a problem with a false certificate being made is mute because browsers know what certs big sites are supposed to use
[QUOTE=FlakTheMighty;49175394]Seriously, has a law been passed that makes this shit legal or has it just not been publicized up until now? Because in the last year or so we've seen an influx of news articles with shit like this.[/QUOTE]
well, the govt isn't going to make it illegal. the NSA needs this to not be illegal to spy on you with their own backdoors
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