Security News > 2022 > November > Computer Repair Technicians Are Stealing Your Data
Researchers at University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, recovered logs from laptops after receiving overnight repairs from 12 commercial shops.
The logs showed that technicians from six of the locations had accessed personal data and that two of those shops also copied data onto a personal device.
In three cases, Windows Quick Access or Recently Accessed Files had been deleted in what the researchers suspect was an attempt by the snooping technician to cover their tracks.
In one, the researcher explained they had installed antivirus software and performed a disk cleanup to "Remove multiple viruses on the device." The researchers received no explanation in the other case.
The laptops were freshly imaged Windows 10 laptops.
There would probably be more snooping by American repair technicians.