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"Consumers trust that their laptops won't come with a vulnerability like this," said Chris Wysopal, co-founder of security analysis company Veracode.
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But it's practically unheard of for that software to expose laptop owners to this kind of attack. Why did this happen? Part of the reason is that since the 1990s, consumers have become accustomed to both preloaded software and apps showing ads without permission. And by exposing consumer Internet traffic to the kind of attack Hirvonen describes, user trust is on the chopping block. Superfish's technique for spying on otherwise secure communications from your computer could herald a new and dangerous trend for preloaded software. Lenovo poisoned its own PCs with Superfish adwareĪt issue is the potential impact of preinstalled spyware making consumers and businesses vulnerable to hackers without their knowledge.
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"The Superfish code does not present a security risk. Superfish said Friday that it is working with Microsoft and Lenovo on a fix, and minimized concerns by the government and security researchers.

Also on Friday, the US Department of Homeland Security warned that the Superfish software introduces a "critical vulnerability," and it issued its own instructions for removing the spyware from Lenovo computers.
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On Friday afternoon, the PC maker said it was working with McAfee and Microsoft to have Superfish "quarantined or removed." Lenovo released a Superfish removal tool that it promised would eliminate all traces of the software from Lenovo computers. "The intent was to supplement the shopping experience." He claims Lenovo was unaware Superfish put consumer's Internet traffic up for grabs. "We messed up badly," said Peter Hortensius, Lenovo's chief technology officer. That kind of threat, known as a man-in-the-middle attack because the hacker can spy on the users' Internet traffic and infiltrate their computer, poses a serious risk to consumers, he said. "Attackers are able to see all the communication that's supposed to be confidential - banking transactions, passwords, emails, instant messages," said Timo Hirvonen, a senior researcher at security software maker F-Secure. But it also tampers with your computer's security so that attackers can snoop on your browser traffic - no matter which browser you're using. The preloaded software, called Superfish, alters your search results to show you different ads than you would otherwise see. Removing software that comes with your brand-new Windows computer can be frustrating, but recently discovered software on new Lenovo laptops - the top-selling laptop brand in 2014 - can put your entire digital life at risk. Screenshot by Robert Graham/Errata Security Superfish code hides in hard-to-reach places on your new Lenovo laptop, making it difficult to remove.
