Asus Admits Windows Laptop Hack, Disputes Number of Users Affected

The company has confirmed that a malware was inadvertently pushed through with its Live Update option.

Asus UX430 Windows 10 laptop. 

(Photo: The Quint)

The story has been updated after Asustek disputed the number of affected computers quoted by Kaspersky which numbered in the millions.

If you own a Windows laptop from Asus, it’s time to know that sometime last year the company inadvertently sent through a dangerous malware via its software update.

According to a report by Kaspersky, the update, along with the malware, made its way to millions of its laptops and was undetected by the developers at Asus. While most didn’t get hit by the malware, some did.

However, Asustek has come out with a rebuttal saying that only several hundred computers were infiltrated as opposed to Kaspersky’s figure in the millions.

Nick Wu, a company spokesperson, mentioned the attack affected only a few hundred computers and since then has helped customers fix the problem.

Reports suggest that while several laptops are likely to have been affected by the issue, interestingly, hackers were only keen on accessing data in over 600 devices. The company, speaking to Techradar, confirmed these allegations and claims to have released a fix for the issue with the latest version of its Live Update app.

For users it is critical they get latest version of Live Update. After all, as observed by Kaspersky, the security firm, hackers were using this utility tool to bypass all secured channels to enter the system.

A small number of devices have been implanted with malicious code through a sophisticated attack on our Live Update servers in an attempt to target a very small and specific user group.

<a href="https://www.techradar.com/news/asus-responds-to-hacking-attack">Asus to Techradar</a>

If you have an Asus laptop, make sure you have Live Update 3.6.8 installed, the company has been quoted saying in the report. In addition to this, Asus has released an online security diagnostic tool that will check a user’s system and tell them if it has been hit with the malware or not.

Experts also suggest that users, who aren’t exactly aware about the issue, connect with the company’s customer service support to get more details on the issue reported. Asus laptops are sold across the globe, including India, where it deals in the ZenBook, TUF and VivoBook series among others.

It is scary to see how easily hackers were able to gain access with fake digital signatures, putting millions of laptop users and their data at risk. The Live Update issue was first spotted in January, five months after the version was actually sent.

This is a concerning time gap, but we’re pleased with Asus’ response time on the matter and the fact that it was able to minimise the damage of the malware released.