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Lenovo Compromises Consumer Trust With Two Malware Apps, Two Wrong Moves

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Lenovo counts as one of the world’s top brands in laptops, for being a sturdy, “trustworthy” brand, which is reflected in its sales, shipments, and market shares. In 2014, 17.5% of all worldwide shipments of laptops was shipped by Lenovo, securing them a spot as the #2 laptop manufacturer worldwide. However, this year, Lenovo was accused of pre-loading malicious spyware and adware onto their laptops.

Early this year, in February 2015, the presence of the “Superfish” spy and adware on Lenovo laptops reached public consciousness. “Superfish” is software that detects a user’s preferences and uses those to push ads. It is a security threat because it could intercept a user’s passwords, as well as their browsing history. Lenovo had bundled the software with its laptops, and users were exposed to security risks because of that. Since that incident, Lenovo has released a tool that will remove the spy and adware.

Lenovo Compromises Consumer Trust With Two Malware Apps, Two Wrong Moves

Just this August, Lenovo hit hot media waters once again, when it was discovered that a certain BIOS-based application called the “Lenovo Service Engine” was found on users’ laptops. The software was said to be a security vulnerability because it was forced on users. This mechanism of installation or accepting the installation of software is a security threat, because the same forced-install mechanism is a tactic of most hackers and malware developers. More than that, even if the user uninstalls the program, since it is BIOS-based, it cannot be removed, even after a clean install of Windows. Lenovo has since released a statement that they are rolling out a fix, and has also released a list of affected Lenovo computers.

In a time when Chinese device manufacturers are regarded with suspicion because of the role that Chinese hackers play in threatening global security, Lenovo shouldn’t be allowing, or even making moves such as these. As a consumer, you might do well to choose other trusted brands who haven’t broken their years of trustworthiness, such as HP, Asus, or even Apple.

Photo Credits: Pixabay/pixelcreatures,
Pixabay/geralt

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