Do you have Superfish?

No, Superfish is not a good thing. In the past, bloatware that came with your computer was just annoying and useless, now it puts you and your information at risk. A recent discovery revealed that preloaded software by the name of Superfish alters your search results to show you ads you otherwise wouldn't see. Not only that, but it also tampers with your computer's security so that attackers can see your browser history regardless of which browser you use.

"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. 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.
Lenovo is scrambling to fix the problem. "We messed up badly," said Peter Hortensius, Lenovo's chief technology officer. He claims Lenovo was unaware Superfish put consumer's Internet traffic up for grabs. "The intent was to supplement the shopping experience."

 PC maker Lenovo claimed it was working with McAfee and Microsoft to have Superfish "quarantined or removed" They have released a tool to help remove Superfish as well as instructions.

Check to see if you have Superfish here.

Source: CNET

Martin Tam

Martin Tam is an editor and the Director of Video Production at [blank]’s Universe. He is also a technology enthusiast that particularly enjoys computers and photography. He enjoys breaking things and sleeping in his spare time.