Solved Absolute Module removal from Dell Bios, some call it a 'rootkit' for tracking. Should I do this?

sdowney717 · Feb 22, 2024

Detecting and removing Absolute persistence technology

Absolute persistence technology amounts to a persistent rootkit pre-installed by many device manufacturers (Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Samsung, Toshiba, etc) to facilitate LoJack for laptops, and

security.stackexchange.com

Dell tells you how, once it is gone can never be reactivated, and it is not activate linked to Absolute servers that I know of on my laptop I just bought.

Computrace: Replaced by Absolute module in newest BIOS revisions | Dell US

sdowney717 · Feb 22, 2024

I am not sure how to interpret this...
Any ideas?
I did update to the latest bios from Dell and it is not called Computrace anymore, Just Absolute with these 3 options.
It seems to mean to me that all your doing is changing the interface? It still exists on the Laptop?
OR is Permanently Disabled really mean this backdoor is no longer open to the Absolute servers?

Absolute Persistance
Disable The Absolute Persistence Module Interface is Disabled.	Enable The Absolute Persistence Module Interface is Enabled. (This allows the Absolute OS Activation Agent to Provision the platform and "Activate" the platform.)	Permanently Disable The Absolute Persistence Module Interface is permanently disabled. Permanent: Cannot be changed.

sdowney717 · Feb 22, 2024

Here is some info on this from Dell forum

Absolute Software | DELL Technologies

My XPS 8960 desktop apparently has the Absolute agent (from Absolute Software) embedded in the BIOS, and currently set to Enable. The Absolute software, which is really quite impressive, can be ver...

www.dell.com

Reading his response, I think I will Permanently Disable the agent.

sdowney717 · Feb 22, 2024

I set to disabled. Info says you can not do that if it has been tracked by an Absolute server. So why leave this back door open is my thinking.

Location of this setting in the bios

sdowney717 · Feb 22, 2024

LOL, So funny! I just noticed DELL made a dumb spelling mistake, the wrote 'farther' use when it should be 'further' use.

Some kind of accent ya thunk?

"The widely accepted rule is to use farther when being literal and discussing a physical distance, as in “He went farther down the road.” Further is used when discussing a more symbolic distance or to discuss a degree or extent, as in “I wanted to discuss it further, but we didn’t have time.”

Heyho · Nov 13, 2024

@sdowney717 Could you kindly explain the steps to go to setting in BIOS regarding absolute module removal please. Cheers!

XxXxX · Nov 13, 2024

i have just checked my Dell lap top and have found that setting to be greyed out and not available.
but i have Ubuntu Linux installed so it maybe only operational if Windows is installed.
this most likely of no help to you.

best of luck, Steve ..

Solved Absolute Module removal from Dell Bios, some call it a 'rootkit' for tracking. Should I do this?

sdowney717

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Detecting and removing Absolute persistence technology

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Absolute Software | DELL Technologies

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