Story URL:
http://www.silicon.com/research/spec...9125876,00.htm
Spyware charge levelled at Lexmark
Dan Ilett
ZDNet UK
November 12, 2004
Allegations have been swirling around an online newsgroup this week that printer manufacturer Lexmark has been installing spyware on its customers' computers.
Reports on the comp.periphs.printers Usenet newsgroup claim that Lexmark has been planting spyware on its customers' PCs in the form of undocumented software that monitors the use of its printers and silently reports back to a Lexmark-owned company website.
One user said that after initially denying the allegations, Lexmark acknowledged installing tracking software that reported printer and cartridge use back to the company for survey purposes. He claimed that Lexmark said no personal data was taken by the program, and that it was impossible to identify anyone by it.
However, users installing the software are prompted to fill in a registration form including their name and the serial number of the product.
The newsgroup posting claims that the program, found on the X5250 installation software, embeds itself in the registry and monitors the use of the printer through DLL files in the c
rogram_fileslexmark500 folder.
The program sends the information, which includes print and scanning data, to the URL
www.lxkcc1.com. According to the internet Whois database, this domain name belongs to Lexmark International in Kentucky.
Lexmark's UK office has not responded to repeated requests for comment.
Dan Ilett writes for ZDNet UK.
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'04 G35 Coupe [
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http://hiddensub.info
Lexmark charged with installing Spyware!
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!] Retail outfits, such as Best Buy, offer “optimizing” services to enhance the performance of the desktop or notebook you just bought. [bs] What a rip off! [bs] (People, learn to use MSCONFIG and the Add/Remove item in the control panel!)
