Monday, November 6th 2017
MantisTek GK2 Mechanical Keyboard Comes with Free Keylogger (Updated)
The MantisTek GK2 is a popular 104-key mechanical keyboard that costs around $49.99. It has all the bells and whistles that you would expect from a keyboard aimed at gamers. It even comes with a keylogger, free of charge. Our colleagues from Tom's Hardware reported a rather disturbing story around this particular model. With the amount of stuff you can do on gaming keyboards nowadays, the majority comes with some kind of software for user customization. The MantisTek GK2 is no different. However, there have been multiple reports from owners claiming that the keyboard's software is actually a front to steal your valuable information.
Apparently, the keyboard's "Cloud Driver" is the culprit responsible for sending user information to a pair of IP addresses linked to Alibaba servers. Nevertheless, that doesn't mean Alibaba is stealing your data. Since the company also sells cloud services, it's quite possible that someone is using Alibaba servers to pull off the heist. After analyzing the software's online activity, users have discovered that the data being sent also included key presses. If you're one of the unlucky owners, it's recommended that you uninstall the software entirely. Make sure you block the CMS.exe executable and MantisTek Cloud Driver with your firewall as well.11/7/2017 Update: After further analysis, it appears that the data sent by the "Cloud Driver" doesn't actually contain any key presses, but the number of times each key is pressed. The manufacturer probably wants this data to determine the keyboard's life span.
Source:
Tom's Hardware
Apparently, the keyboard's "Cloud Driver" is the culprit responsible for sending user information to a pair of IP addresses linked to Alibaba servers. Nevertheless, that doesn't mean Alibaba is stealing your data. Since the company also sells cloud services, it's quite possible that someone is using Alibaba servers to pull off the heist. After analyzing the software's online activity, users have discovered that the data being sent also included key presses. If you're one of the unlucky owners, it's recommended that you uninstall the software entirely. Make sure you block the CMS.exe executable and MantisTek Cloud Driver with your firewall as well.11/7/2017 Update: After further analysis, it appears that the data sent by the "Cloud Driver" doesn't actually contain any key presses, but the number of times each key is pressed. The manufacturer probably wants this data to determine the keyboard's life span.
13 Comments on MantisTek GK2 Mechanical Keyboard Comes with Free Keylogger (Updated)
Btw, who can point me towards a slim, backlit keyboard that hopefully has a USB port as well? Mechanical or not, I haven't decided yet, but it has to stay (well) under $100. TIA
i always avoid installing any driver except it asks for that
www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/comments/7bcb0t/anyone_with_mantistek_gk2_keyboard_stop_using_it/dph76ge/