https://www.jpost.com/International/Manafort-weaponized-antisemitism-with-senior-Israeli-official-in-Ukraine-lobbying-scheme-567235

MILLIONS OF LAPTOPS BACKDOORED ON A FIRMWARE LEVEL

https://threatpost.com/millions-of-pcs-affected-by-mysterious-computrace-backdoor-2/107700/

https://www.kaspersky.com/blog/beware-of-vulnerable-anti-theft-applications/3837/

Toshina: all of these model families have it: https://www.absolute.com/en/partners/oem/toshiba

Lenovo model families: https://www.absolute.com/en/partners/oem/lenovo

Asus, HP, etc, etc, etc, the list goes on

How to Disable the CompuTrace Laptop BIOS on a Toshiba?

CompuTrace is tracking software, developed by Absolute, that allows you to recover and restore missing or stolen computer systems. Some Toshiba laptops come with this application. You cannot manually remove CompuTrace from your Toshiba laptop; instead, contact Absolute HelpDesk for the removal process. Use an administrative account to perform this task.

Instructions

1 - Locate the serial number of your Toshiba laptop at the bottom of your laptop. It will say “Serial No” followed by the actual serial number, which is a combination of letters and numbers. Write down the serial number on a piece of paper.

2 - Navigate to “CompuTrace Support” webpage (see Resources). Click the “Click here” link under “Log in to your account.”

3 - Use your Absolute username and password and click “Login.” This opens a request form.

4 - Type “CompuTrace removal” in the provided box for the request form. Type the serial number of your computer in the corresponding field. Also, provide your email address. Click the “Submit” button.

5 - Wait for a confirmation email from Absolute. It notes that your request has been processed.

6 - Connect your Toshiba laptop to the Internet.

Once you do this, Absolute automatically removes CompuTrace from your laptop.