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Homeland Security Urges Lenovo Customers To Remove Superfish

Posted by timothy on from the confessed-fully-as-soon-as-we-were-caught-red-handed dept.

HughPickens.com (3830033) writes "Reuters reports that the US Department of Homeland Security has advised Lenovo customers to remove "Superfish" software from their computers. According to an alert released through its National Cyber Awareness System the software makes users vulnerable to SSL spoofing and could allow a remote attacker to read encrypted web browser traffic, spoof websites and perform other attacks on Lenovo PCs with the software installed. Lenovo inititally said it stopped shipping the software because of complaints about features, not a security vulnerability. "We have thoroughly investigated this technology and do not find any evidence to substantiate security concerns," the company said in a statement to Reuters early on Thursday. On Friday, Lenovo spokesman Brion Tingler said the company's initial findings were flawed and that it was now advising customers to remove the software and providing instructions for uninstalling "Superfish". "We should have known about this sooner," Tingler said in an email. "And if we could go back, we never would have installed this software on our machines. But we can't, so we are dealing with this head on.""

3 of 134 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Homeland Security wakes up by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    it isn't enough to bitch about Lenovo. You also have to take to task the investors who have been keeping Superfish the California startup afloat since 2007.

  2. Head on? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    They've been doing nothing but putting spin on this since it blew up in their face. Claiming they installed it to enhance the user's experience instead of because they were paid to. Claiming there's no security risk. Claiming they stopped it because of complaints of the "features", rather than because their customers believed it to be intrusive and dangerous. Claiming it can be simply and completely removed with a standard uninstall, which does not remove the custom certificate and vulnerability. Retracting statements and making apologies while dodging the actual issue.
    I don't expect many will accept this as a suitable definition of "head on".

  3. A better way to uninstall Superfish by Walter+White · · Score: 5, Informative

    http://windows.microsoft.com/e...

    And get rid of all of the other crapware that Lenovo put on your PC in one fell swoop. No doubt it will take more effort to do it this way but it will also be more complete. (I have no idea if this works outside the US.)

    For further information I wold check the ideapad section at notebookreview.com where you can find reinstallation help (including the thread I just started.)