Fire for preinstalling spyware on Lenovo

Lenovo on Thursday came under fire for preinstalling spyware on some of its laptops.

The software, Superfish, uses the same techniques cybercriminals often employ to crack encrypted traffic from computers to the Internet.

"Superfish is purposely designed to bypass the security of HTTPS websites in a manner that would allow malware and attackers to also bypass the security provided by HTTPS," said Adam Ely, cofounder of Bluebox.

"Users are inherently at risk of being directed to malicious sites that appear valid," he told TechNewsWorld, "making it much easier for attackers to steal information and further infect computers with malware."
However, security concerns raised by malware fighters are misplaced, Lenovo insisted.
"We have thoroughly investigated this technology and do not find any evidence to substantiate security concerns," the company said in a statement provided to TechNewsWorld by spokesperson Brion Tingler.