PCR Tech and IT retail, distribution and vendor news
Lenovo has released an official statement on the recent news that preloaded software on its computers put user data at risk.
The Superfish software, which was preloaded into devices, reportedly opens the door for third parties to access information for advertising purposes.
Lenovo denies that the software poses a security risk, saying: “We thoroughly investigated this technology and do not find any evidence to substantiate security concerns.
“But we know that users reacted to this issue with concerns, and so we have taken direct action to stop shipping any products with this software. We will continue to review what we do and how we do it in order to ensure we put our user needs, experience and priorities first.”
The company has claimed that Superfish has completely disabled server side interaction (since January) on all Lenovo products so that the product is no longer active on any product on the market.
It also said that it stopped preloading the software back in January and will not include it on any device in the future.
Even though the SSL certificates that Superfish uses create a security risk, Lenovo is adamant that user information is safe.
“To be clear, Superfish technology is purely based on contextual/image and not behavioral. It does not profile nor monitor use behavior. It does not record user information. It does not know who the user is. Users are not tracked or re-targeted," it added in a statement.
“Every session is independent. Users are given a choice whether or not to use the product. The relationship with Superfish is not financially significant; our goal was to enhance the experience for users. We recognise that the software did not meet that goal and have acted quickly and decisively.”
Lenovo is offering additional support on its forums for any concerns, or if users want to take further action.
In other news: Exertis has expanded its range of Lenovo products with server and storage solutions.
