Security researcher michael myng discovered the keylogging code in software drivers preinstalled on hp laptops to make the keyboard paintings.
Hp stated extra than 460 fashions of pc were laid low with the "potential safety vulnerability".
It has issued a software patch for its clients to remove the keylogger.
The issue affects laptops in the elitebook, probook, pavilion and envy ranges, among others. Hp has issued a complete listing of affected devices, relationship returned to 2012.
'lack of confidentiality'
Mr myng discovered the keylogger whilst examining synaptics touchpad software, to discern out the way to manipulate the keyboard backlight on an hp laptop.
He stated the keylogger became disabled via default, but an attacker with get right of entry to to the computer may want to have enabled it to report what a user changed into typing.
According to hp, it became at the start built into the synaptics software program to assist debug errors.
It acknowledged that would lead to "loss of confidentiality" however it said neither synaptics nor hp had get right of entry to to purchaser facts due to the flaw.
In may additionally, a similar keylogger was found within the audio drivers pre-installed on several hp pc fashions.
At the time, the employer stated the keylogger code had been mistakenly delivered to the software program.
