Summary
Riskware:W32/DellSystemDetect is an application pre-installed on many Dell computer systems. Versions older than 6.0.14 are vulnerable to web-based attacks that, if successful, can allow an attacker to silently execute commands on the affected system. This could allow an attacker to secretly install malware, steal data and perform other harmful actions.
Removal
Once detected, the F-Secure security product will automatically block the suspect program and notify the user.
A False Positive is when a file is incorrectly detected as harmful, usually because its code or behavior resembles known harmful programs. A False Positive will usually be fixed in a subsequent database update without any action needed on your part. If you wish, you may also:
Check for the latest database updates
First, check if your F-Secure security program is using the latest updates, then try scanning the file again.
Submit a sample
After checking, if you still believe the file is incorrectly detected, you can submit a sample of it for re-analysis.
Note: If the file was moved to quarantine, you need to collect the file from quarantine before you can submit it.
Exclude a file from further scanning
If you are certain that the file is safe and want to continue using it, you can exclude it from further scanning by the F-Secure security product.
Note: You need administrative rights to change the settings.
Technical Details
The System Detect utility is found on many Dell computers and is designed to provide machine configuration details to the Dell website when searching for the most relevant drivers for the system. In November 2014, Dell was notified by a security researchver of a flaw in the program that allowed an attacker to perform remote code execution; the company subsequently released a new, updated version (6.0.14) of the utility removing the flaw.
Older versions of the System Detect program are still vulnerable to remote execution, and are not automatically updated to the new version. As Dell computer systems are very popular for both corporate and personal use, this utility is very prevalent, leaving many systems vulnerable to remote attack.
Exploitation of the vulnerable versions is quite simple. The program is designed to work once the user visits a website containing some variation of the word 'dell' in its domain, making it trivial for attackers to create a malicious site using a domain name that also contains 'dell' (for example, 'a.dell.fakesite.ownedbythebadguys.com'). The application also uses a registry run key to stay persistent, meaning that it is always running in the background.
To address these issues, the latest version of the utility now requires the visited domain to include the term 'dell.com', and no longer runs persistently.
Users who see the detection Riskware:W32/DellSystemDetect are strongly urged to either uninstall the Dell System Detect software entirely, or update the utility to the latest version immediately. Further details, including the update, can be found at: http://www.dell.com/support/article/us/en/19/SLN117738/EN
For more information, see:
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