Traveling Rootkit

And of course, if you bothered to read down far enough, the answer is right in the same article:

A month or two ago, after buying a new computer, he noticed that it was almost immediately infected as soon as he plugged one of his USB drives into it.

So at some point, the researcher put a USB drive into a computer, where it picked up a rootkit virus from an already infected machine, and that rootkit was then able to somehow transfer over to any computer when that USB drive was plugged in. Nothing mysterious here. Such viruses that transfer from media to a computer, and then from an infected computer back to clean removable media go all the way back to DOS.

Everything this man is claiming is truth and its **** not to mention frustrating in probably gonna set my 2013 3000 dollar hacktop today everything will be compromised even if u think its off. Seen a clear channel radio station completely covered and compromised in a matter of 2 weeks. Thank the feds and white trash cia

Newly leaked documents 3/23/17, Networkworld.com, Wikileaks confirms low-level intelligence hacks on iphone and Macbookpro using Sonic Screwdriver and Der Starke rootkit,malware. Using Extensible Firmware Interface-EFI and will infect firmware to the the kernel and beyond. Many don't understand what and why this affects their iPhones and MacBooks at the same time! Look on Networkworkworld.com/Newly leaked documents show low level, etc.Definitely a firmware install in most cases as the article states. Sorry for your trouble,maybe this is it.. It may work with thunderbolt 2 as well.

Sonic Screwdriver

An interesting find, but old news. Apple has a patch that's been in effect for that for quite a while. Macs built after 2013 cannot be affected. Der Starke is also from about 2013. As one of the few the articles that even came up in a Google search that discusses it, they're not sure it even works anymore. This PDF talks about it at a bit more length. Once again, affected Macs (that they know of) are those built before 2013. So, it would appear this is also a dead threat already patched against.

Glad to read "wikileaks" article is old news. Still new to mac and really appreciate the advice to re-set router passwords. Admin is not a password! This whole exchange is super helpful for me. So much scatter and rumor on web.. Thanks for the router tip. What we are being told is sometimes not based on reality!

I’m not quite certain where to begin. It took me at least 10 minutes trying to log in to the board in order to post this.

Scissor, how unbeliably relieving it was to read your post. People have been asking about my “foil hat” for some time - I’ve finally gotten to the point where I just don’t talk about all the “anomalies” I’ve experienced.

I’m posting this (or attempting to) from my phone that obviously has some issues. In just logging in with my two factor authentication, no text received...at least no pop-up. My secondary line which I have never connected to WiFi, did receive it. Clicking the 6 digit empty boxes to input that code, the bottom of my screen created a white area about 1/3 of an inch wide - where the keyboard should have been.

I took a video from another device as screen shots from this one didn’t seem to work. Where the keyboard should have been, pressing the area would actually input numbers - and then after about 15 seconds...black screen with the white scrolling circle. Likely some very odd glitch or “anomaly”, which I’ve just come accustomed to at this point. Finally a hard reset I was able to see the keypad and login.

That being said - I completely believe everything you’re saying. I’d love to actually reach out to someone who has experience in dealing with this sort of thing - I’m at my wits end.

My “issues” started about 4 years ago. I won’t bother getting into what those issues are- I will say that perhaps much of them are simply just bugs and glitches that are expected in devices and such.

I’ll just say that I can more or less pinpoint when and how these almost exact anomalies you experience started for me.

I have one of the last MacBook Pro 17” models made. I have 3 or 4 Mini DisplayPort adapters, as they would malfunction and I’d buy another - using that laptop on an external monitor. I can even pinpoint where and when I bought those adapters.

I could write a novel, I won’t. I’m hoping an expert here might put my mind at ease on this one issue (with this laptop).

Fast forward 3.5 years of these “issues” I’ve gotten to the point where I do my best to ignore them.

So, this computer I wouldn’t dare power on. Until recently. I found the original box, and Snow Leopard install disk, along with the hardware disk that came with the laptop. (Countless internet recoveries and also bringing into the Apple store for the same - well...I’ll say I’ve had the same issues as you).

I had found the disk I suppose well over two years ago, and this particular laptop obviously has a built in drive. In recovering from this disk, the computer scratched it up badly. I’m sure the drive just had some debris or something that causes it, who’s to say. (Sorry if I jump all over the place...trying to get this posted before my “battery goes dead”).

There has always been an HP printer broadcasting WiFi where I ended up leaving the laptop (family home). It’s a rural area and on the property a $300+ router, you’re lucky if you get 1 bar sitting outside. Yet always that HP printer was here, full bars just about anywhere you’d go. Must have been a neighbor with an amplified WiFi antenna on their roof. Ha.

I cut the power to the entire home at one point, the only signal was yep, an HP printer. I let it go and left the laptop in a drawer (thinking I had disconnected the battery).

6 months ago, that computer had been in the drawer for a year+. I turned it on and it booted right up, I had forgotten to disconnect the battery. I pulled it out because these anomalies seemed to have subside and I just thought well - maybe they were indeed just glitches and bugs that were worked through (and I’m just paranoid). The HP printer broadcast had disappeared. And granted I have been through 3-4 routers (all of which when I connect them to the network, the manual reset / factory reset button(s) cease to function. (Perhaps my paperclips are faulty). I wanted to try fixing that laptop anyway.

I bought a device that removes scratches from CD’s, a high end one. Polished it right up. Popped that puppy in the laptop (I disconnected the WiFi and Bluetooth from the board...the antennas anyway)...and started the recovery mode.

I’m hoping this screenshot posts...someone tell me this is completely normal so I can relax. “Error downloading photo from iCloud library”...another glitch and normal - im sure. Tried duplicating it “an error occurred while trying to duplicate this photo”. Thought that might work. It will not let me post a screenshot of this log file. Once I post this I’ll call do my best to figure a workaround.

The first thing the log says is...well, I can’t get this photo attached, and now have posted by mistake.

Anyone on why I can’t attach a photo? It will take me some type to type it all as it is. I’d never have transferred it to a USB (this was six months ago anyway).

The first thing the log file more or less does in the OSX installation is to install printer drivers, nearby printers, and it would hang first thing on an HP printer driver installation.

It halted at NSCocoaDomain Code=642 UserInfo=0x120411680 “You can’t save the file “Autosave information” because the volume “Mac OS Install DVD is read-only.” (Underlying error=.....etc it goes on and on.

I’m willing do donate this along with so many other devices for no other reason that someone telling me I’m not completely crazy.

Oh, and I might mention I had the same error trying to upload images to apples engineering department (over a different device and different situation all together - and also from a different computer) - and the images wouldn’t upload. The senior advisor couldn’t figure it our. I ended up having to email them, and he relayed them - but initially had told me uploading through the website was the only way.

This issue is but about 5% of all the anomalies I’ve run into. I’m surprised I finally was able to post anything here.

Just hoping someone has some feedback and info on how to get a screenshot on here so you guys Sam see this log file.

And one more thing on that laptop, I had tried years ago installing the EFI update, it always failed upon restart. At the time I never thought anything if it.

The remote site is provided by Apple to allow Macs that have no usable disk to boot. It's called 'Internet Recovery'

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT201314

It's normal behaviour for a Mac.

C.

TMTR. Is there a question in there somewhere?

I read it and was unable to find the question also.

Sarcastic answer are not going to help you get any answers. It is more likely it will scare users all.

Ok, clearly you got hacked.

No, he didn't.

For goodness sake, STOP FEEDING THE TROLL!

C.

I wrote:

No problem. I can't be anything but frustrating.

😁

There's a Freudian slip if there every was one! Should have been:

No problem. It can't be anything but frustrating.

Yeah. Right. Sure. Whatever you say.