Don't buy Dell?

A number of Dell motherboards have malware in their ESM firmware?

If unauthorised changes or malware can slip into Dell firmware images then do you trust the rest of their systems?

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Comments

Devilsbane

Never bought a dell. I did hear 6 months ago or so how it was possible to stick a virus on the lojack chip and take complete control of someones computer.

earweed

This could definitely be a PR nightmare for Dell. It's something they should really deal with quickly.

tiersten

earweed wrote: »

This could definitely be a PR nightmare for Dell. It's something they should really deal with quickly.

That said, various large manufacturers have sold devices like MP3 players or flash drives and software media which have had malware. The malware getting inserted because the imaging PC got infected at some point.

It is still different than a server that comes prepwned and without any method of you checking for or removing this malware youself though. If you format your flash drive then all traces of malicious code should vanish. You can't really format your server firmware and even if you could, what would you apply there?

Devilsbane

tiersten wrote: »

You can't really format your server firmware and even if you could, what would you apply there?

Well you could... but then you would be left with a paperweight.

tpatt100

I have been buying Dell for years. This has occurred before mainly with flash drives and hard drives.

tiersten

More information.

The W32.Spybot worm was found in some sort of flash FS in the motherboard. Not sure what that flash FS is for. I guess whoever does the firmware images got infected by the worm.

erpadmin

Good thing we buy HP Proliants..........

LOL. We do buy and use Dell workstations/laptops though.