Posted on 02/20/2015 5:26:47 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum
Source: Sovereignman Blog
File this under ‘you can’t make this stuff up.’
Lenovo Group, the largest computer manufacturer in the world, has made a rather stunning admission that they have been pre-installing tracking software on their PCs.
The tracking software is made by a company called Superfish, which apparently paid some “very minor compensation” to Lenovo for putting the software on people’s computers.
The Superfish program is a total disaster.
It has image recognition algorithms which essentially monitor what a user is looking at… then suggests relevant ads based on what it thinks you might like.
This is not only REALLY high up on the creepy scale, it also completely destroys Internet security.
Whether you’re buying something online or accessing Internet banking, the Superfish program essentially cuts the secure link between you and sensitive websites that you’re trying to access.
According to the first user who found the vulnerability a few weeks ago, “[Superfish] will hijack ALL your secure web connections (SSL/TLS) by using self-signed root certificate authority, making it look legitimate to the browser.”
This means that the tracking software basically fools a web browser into believing that a connection is secure when it’s not… all for the purpose of pushing more ads in your face.
This scheme is so powerful that even if users uninstall the Superfish software, the security breach still remains.
This is so flagrant I have to imagine that even the NSA is shocked.
After its initial approach of being completely unapologetic and dismissal, Lenovo is now groveling for forgiveness.
The company’s Chief Technology Officer now says, “We messed up badly here,” and “We made a mistake.”
Duh. But untold amounts of consumers out there have been totally violated.
There are a few interesting points to make here–
1) Privacy isn’t dead. But it’s extremely difficult to maintain. There are so many forces out there trying to pry whatever little privacy remains from us, one has to fight tooth and nail to preserve it.
2) There’s no transparency in the system; we never really know what’s going on behind the scenes with big institutions.
Governments and politicians will lie to our faces. They’ll tell us to be excited and that everything is fine; then behind the scenes they’ll plan for capital controls and huge tax increases.
No one has any idea what kind of toxic crap banks have on their balance sheets. They’ll post record profits and tell us how successful they are. But internally they know that it’s only a matter of time before they collapse (as we saw in 2008).
Even major tech brands are betraying the public in the dark of night with crazy spyware or selling us all out to government agencies.
There are very few, if any, big institutions out there that we can trust anymore.
And maybe that’s how it should be.
It’s a shark-filled world with bad people who do bad things. Perhaps it’s all the better that a trusted brand becomes the poster child for betrayal.
Because if Lenovo is doing this, are we supposed to be so naïve to presume that Google, Apple, AT&T, etc. are not?
Question everything.
Thank goodness I don’t have any shares in that company. LOL
Crossing Lenovo off of my prospective list of laptops for the next few years, if not forever.
D icks....
I was wonder why I was getting so many advertisements about foreign brides and hot dates ... oh wait ... never mind. ;-)
Lenovo is a Chinese Company, I like their hardware, but won’t buy from them for this reason.
“Lenovo is a Chinese Company, I like their hardware, but won’t buy from them for this reason.”
Unbelievably, NASA recently started putting Lenovo Desktops on every desk at NASA. I couldn’t believe it. After a PC that OUT Of THE BOX tried to upload data to China, MSFC stopped deploying them.
Yeah and I bet the only thing they are sorry about is that they were unable to hide it well enough. Me thinks that is the big mistake they are bemoaning about.
Destroying their investment, I am sure they are sorry
Guess what computer I will never buy?
Ok, now that we know that superfish exists, how do I find out if it’s in my laptop? I’m presently using a Lenovo T60
I have one setting on my desk, running the Windows 7 it came with. Malwarebytes and the free Trend Micro scan have never shown any problems.
I should be getting a free upgrade to Windows 10 soon. I don’t see a need to re-install an OS until then.
More to the story than meets the eye?
At any rate I am still glad I never invested in the company. Also glad I don't won one of their computers.
Is Superfish made by a Chinese company?
FWIW, I’ve hated Lenovo’s products anyway.
It will be SOP soon on everything. Xbox already has facial recognition software and will acknowledge anyone who has been entered into the machine when the walk into the room.
On the one hand I can see it as an excellent anti-theft system for smartphones and laptops and such. But I guess I am too old-fashioned because it creeps me out when I think of it, and visions of "Open the pod bay door Hal" I'm Sorry Dave, I cant' do that" AND the NSA using such as the ultimate Big Brother app.
Have you experienced the stated behavior? If you google pics of patio furniture, do ads for patio furniture start showing up?
Correction: Should say, Also glad I don’t OWN one, LOL
Did yer auto-correct quit?
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