It’s been discovered that Chinese keyboard MantisTek GK2 has been sending users’ information to an Alibaba server. Originally reported on a thread website similar to Reddit, an anonymous user warned other members that the keypad was sending “information about key presses statistics” to a separate website, meaning anything a user has typed–email addresses, passwords, and other such login information that has been typed–is being sent to someone using the Alibaba server.
The appeal to the MantisTek GK2 over other mechanical keyboards is its cheap price, but such gadgets are also noted to often take user’s information without consent.
To help stop information from being sent on the MantisTek GK2, users should first make sure they stop the keyboard’s Cloud Driver software from running in the background, as it is the main source sending the information.
Following this step, users can implement the force of their firewall to help by blocking the executable file CMS.exe.
Or, if they’re desperate for a quick fix, users can download free firewall software GlassWire, which allows users to block apps from making connections on their computer.
As a final step, exercise caution when buying similar products. Yes, the majority of products in the US are being manufactured in China, but products usually go through a local company who serves as a gateway to ensure these products are safer to use than when they come directly from China, with all their specs and “features” included, such as sending statistics to outside servers.
