A vulnerability that could potentially allow hackers to spy on what a user is typing has been found in software preinstalled onto HP laptops.

A security researcher found keylogging code in some of the software pre-installed onto his HP laptop. Keyloggers are widely used by hackers to spy on what a user is typing, allowing them to gain private and personal data such as credentials and billing information.

HP have said that more than 460 models of laptops were affected by the security vulnerability, including some of their most popular products like the EliteBook, ProBook and Pavilion models dating back to 2012.

The keylogger is disabled by default, however it can still potentially be enabled if a hacker were to gain access to the device. HP have issued a software patch for their customers to remove the vulnerability with a list of all HP model laptops that are affected by the exploit.

Cyber Wise recommends that all users with HP models go to HP?s security bulletin page to find out if their device is affected and install the patch. For more information about the HP security exploit visit our blog on the Cyber Wise website.