Geekom reveals multiple mini-PCs may be infected with malware hidden in a network driver but it's now down to you to fix your PC

Date:
Tue, 18 Aug 2026 15:05:00 +0000

Description:
A malicious executable hidden within a LAN driver can track keystrokes, intercept data, and swipe passwords from Geekom mini-PCs.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Geekom has admitted a software driver contained malware A LAN driver on a legacy page was hosting the Asruex backdoor The malware can track keystrokes, steal passwords, and intercept
data Hardware maker Geekom has admitted that a network driver for multiple mini PC variants hosted Asruex backdoor malware, potentially putting users at risk

The LAN driver for Geekoms range of A7, A8, AE7, AE8, AX7 Pro and AX8 Pro mini-PCs hosted the malicious package with administrator-level permissions that allowed it to monitor everything you type, steal data, and even swipe passwords from your machine. The malicious software also connects to a
command and control (C2) network to send and receive information from
hackers. Geekom has issued an apology and removed the software package in question, but if you have a Geekom mini PC from the aforementioned range and have installed the LAN driver, Id definitely recommend doing a full system virus scan, with a wipe and reset just to be sure. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here: Geekom ships malware-riddled LAN driver Videocardz first broke the story after investigating claims from a Reddit
user who reported finding a malicious executable file contained within the
LAN driver.

Videocardz then independently investigated the claim using FileScan.IO, MetaDefender VirusTotal, and YARAify. Each antivirus engine detected the executable as malicious. You may like Hackers caught hijacking this Chinese Windows VPN's installers to spread malware Another top router maker accused
of firmware having backdoors Chinese giant Zbtlink halts downloads to fix issue Researchers find ultimate Windows kill switch which can disable antivirus with almost no user interaction

In Geekoms statement about the malicious file, the company said that the driver was hosted on a legacy page [that] had already been replaced and was
no longer accessible through the normal Support navigation, although it remained indexed by search engines.

So when users searched for the LAN driver using Google , the result that came up was the malicious file. I always recommend users install drivers and other software from the official distributor rather than using Google listings as hackers can use tactics such as SEO poisoning or promoted pages to offer
dodgy software. But in this case the legacy page was official. Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get
all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting
your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Geekom has confirmed that none of its mini PC range were shipped with the malicious driver preinstalled, so if you havent directly downloaded the malicious software from the legacy page, you should be okay. But consider running a Windows Defender scan to be sure.

In order to guarantee that your mini PC is free of the malicious driver, perform a complete wipe and reset of Windows, and install a new Windows image direct from Microsoft s official page. Going forward, only install software and drivers from the official support pages of the manufacturer. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/geekom-reveals-multiple-mini-pcs-may-be -infected-with-malware-hidden-in-a-network-driver-but-its-now-down-to-you-to-f ix-your-pc


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)