Chinese computer manufacturer Lenovo has offered its customers a tool to remove pre-installed software after it was branded a security risk. The adware – called Superfish – came as part of some Lenovo notebooks. The adware was disabled last Thursday following complaints. The company also said it was aware about security risks linked to the software, which it said it was focused on fixing.
The company said: “We apologize for causing these concerns among our users – we are learning from this experience and will use it to improve what we do and how we do it in the future,” the company said.”
They claimed to have acted “swiftly and decisively” after learning of the vulnerabilities, giving users the chance to download an anti-Superfish patch. Superfish was designed to help users find the cheapest deals on items and services but it has led to unwanted pop-up ads appearing on browsers. Experts later warn users that the software presented risks to users.
Superfish apparently worked by exchanging its own security key or encryption certificates used by a number of site. By doing this, it could collect data over secure connections, though anyone hacking Superfish would also be able to do this, putting users at risk.