Energizer Battery Charger Has Hidden Trojan
The US-CERT has detected a trojan in software bundled with Energizer's DUO USB Battery Charger.
Tuesday we reported that a Panda Security employee discovered three malware programs on his new HTC Magic phone. However there was also another malware-related report on Tuesday as well, provided by the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team. (US-CERT). Like the HTC phone, malware was discovered in association with a new, trusted device.
According to the official report, the team discovered a trojan residing in software packaged with the Energizer DUO USB Battery Charger. Although the installer places a legitimate file into the application's directory, it also places Arucer.dll into the Windows system32 directory. The latter file has been classified as a backdoor trojan that allows unauthorized remote system access.
For users of Windows XP SP2 or later, the system's built-in firewall will prompt the user about the Energizer USB Charger software accessing the Internet. Naturally, unsuspecting consumers unblock the request, thus accepting connections on TCP port 7777 and leaving the PC open for hackers. "An attacker is able to remotely control a system, including the ability to list directories, send and receive files, and execute programs," the report reads. "The backdoor operates with the privileges of the logged-on user."
The US-CERT said that users can simply uninstall the Energizer USB Charger software, however the Arucer.dll file will still remain in the Windows system32 directory until it is manually removed. But by uninstalling the software, users are removing the registry value that causes the backdoor to execute automatically when Windows starts, thus leaving Arucer.dll inactive.
Consumers wanting to run the software provided by Energizer could alternatively block access to TCP port 7777 in their firewall settings. For more information, head here.
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Wow... next thing we know Canon/Sony,etc cameras will come with pre-loaded with malware.
I have never seen a charger which comes with software. Has battery chargers gotten so complicated that it needs to run a software in your PC to charge something?
Someone at energizer looks like they wont be going on. =P
How something like this slips through the cracks with hundreds of thousands of units produced is crazy, and downright unresponsible.
That's pretty insane, intentional or accidental, this type of thing should not be overlooked. I would like to see what their little Bunny has to say about this...
Wow... next thing we know Canon/Sony,etc cameras will come with pre-loaded with malware.
Sony BMG CDs from 2005 already have a good chance of that.
Something odd, this news came out before the phone news did.
Either way, I know what I'm buying my roomate as a suprise gift.
First off, where is this thing manufactured. My first guess is China. Second why would you want to charge AAA batteries in a USB connection, what's wrong with the wall socket?
This is nothing new, I've had Kingston branded CF cards come with preloaded malware about 5 years ago from ebuyer.com, the packages were blister pack sealed, so I'm guessing it must have come from the factory like that, as a rule any storage based products I buy now get wiped before I use them.
IT´S SKYNET! RUN TO THE MOUNTAINS!
This is *not* a manufacturing glitch. This software is actually not shipped with the charger, it is made available on the Energizer web site for use if you want to know the charge percentage and estimated time to completion. The fact that Energizer published this software for so long (a few years) and no one ever noticed is a testament to the lax attitude many vendors adopt. Also, for what it's worth, the 'trojan' is really just a passive backdoor; if you have a hardware/software firewall and *dont* specifically open that port, it is harmless (aside from cpu usage and being generally creepy). There is no phone-home routine and no other malicious activity.
How did the hackers implant the code there?!
Or maybe Energizer tries to spy on us.
IT´S SKYNET! RUN TO THE MOUNTAINS!
LOL, This just might be the next "But can it play Crysis?"Now with the new rules on that comment, someone has to take the throne? This one is actually still funny.
LOL.... Windows. Insecure as ever.
If the Energizer charger ever infect my 'puter, that silly wabbit better keep going, and going and going.
Sony BMG CDs from 2005 already have a good chance of that.
lol, yeah if you talk about Root kits. But I was specifically referring to trojans, viruses.
That's pretty insane, intentional or accidental, this type of thing should not be overlooked. I would like to see what their little Bunny has to say about this...
Of course is intentional, why would someone put malware on charger software? Because it's the last place to check for such a thing and that's exactly why it was placed there.
Think about the huge underground business that ID theft has become and you'll understand why some hungry employee would slip such a thing on their soft package.
LOL.... Windows. Insecure as ever.
Yes, it is secure, funny boy. That's how it got discovered. If it was written for, say, MacOS, it would still be there, doing it's thing. Lucky though, that OS will never have such a widespread market penetration.
why the heck would a battery company put a trojan on peoples computers?
[quote]Yes, it is secure, funny boy. That's how it got discovered. If it was written for, say, MacOS, it would still be there, doing it's thing. Lucky though, that OS will never have such a widespread market penetration./quote]
penetration, hehe
[quote]Yes, it is secure, funny boy. That's how it got discovered. If it was written for, say, MacOS, it would still be there, doing it's thing. Lucky though, that OS will never have such a widespread market penetration./quote]penetration, hehe
Yeah, I know... for lack of a better word.
Hope I don't get banned for it....
Wow... next thing we know Canon/Sony,etc cameras will come with pre-loaded with malware.
Don't know about canon, but Sony...sure
*cough* Rootkit *cough*
Energizer's way of giving us a little extra. It's a gift that keeps on giving.
It was the Duracell Bunny!!
My anti virus detected a virus called "My Documents" and something about Documents and Settings, i better delete these files before its too late
Note to self: Run all new devices on sandbox environment/ virtual machine
Software + battery charger = rotting batteries & an angry customer
Allow? Block? hmmm.
How about just getting an old fashion 110 plug in charger. Safe easy and no software needed.
The bunny was just a cover up. While we were busy watching him power the space station he was stealing our personal info and fueling his late night spending!
Someone at energizer looks like they wont be going on. =PHow something like this slips through the cracks with hundreds of thousands of units produced is crazy, and downright unresponsible.
LOL the sesame street word of the day is:
unresponsible
No biggie, their rechargeable batteries kinda suck anyway.