Tag: Superfish

Lenevo.com Hacked in Response to Superfish

Lenovo has recently been in the news for all the wrong reasons. Cyber-security experts reported that the a pre-installed adware called on Lenovo computers made them vulnerable to hacking. Lenovo is also facing a class action lawsuit after admitting that it willingly installed the adware on their systems. The company seems to have really touched a nerve as a group of hackers called Lizard Squad have taken over their website.

The Message currently showing on Lenovo’s website

When some users went to visit the site in the morning, instead of the usual content they just found a slideshow. The slideshow had webcam pictures of kids with a Twitter link claiming to be members of Lizard Squad. If you visit the website, now all you get is an apology page stating that the website is unavailable and will come online soon.

We’ll comb the Lenovo dump for more interesting things later.

— Lizard Squad (@LizardCircle) February 25, 2015

The hackers have also gained access to Lenovo’s emails and data. The group is claiming that it will be combing through all the data that it has captured. We might even anticipate leaks like the previous Sony hack.

Superfish removal bricks some devices? Great work Lenovo pic.twitter.com/phXiBS3KzO

— Lizard Squad (@LizardCircle) February 25, 2015

The hackers have already released screenshots of emails that say that some devices got bricked when users attempted to remove Superfish adware themselves. Superfish has become a major bone in the throats of Lenovo. The company had till now enjoyed a healthy fan base, but the adware seems to have the potential to severely tarnish the company’s image. Come back to iGyaan for more updates on Lenovo.

February 26, 2015
Lenovo Faces Lawsuit Over Pre-Installed Adware

A class-action lawsuit has been filed against Lenovo and Superfish, charging both companies with ‘fraudulent’ business practices. The Chinese manufacturer has confessed that they pre-loaded the Superfish adware as enraged customers have now dragged the company to court demanding an explanation. The adware gives itself total control to take over connections and declare them as trusted and secure, even when they are not secure.

The company now faces court after they admitted to installing Superfish on some of their PCs. Affected laptops include non-ThinkPad models such as G Series, U Series, Y Series, Z Series, S Series, Flex, Miix, Yoga and E Series.

Though, Lenovo has finally rectified the situation by releasing a tool to remove the pre-installed adware, however many feel the company could’ve handled the situation better by responding far earlier than they did. Microsoft and McAfee came to rescue Lenovo out of the mess it created.

[quote text_size=”small” author=”Lenovo”]

We are working with McAfee and Microsoft to have the Superfish software and certificate quarantined or removed using their industry-leading tools and technologies. This action has already started and will automatically fix the vulnerability even for users who are not currently aware of the problem.

[/quote]

Lenovo’s slack attitude towards this situation could pose as a major setback to the company’s reputation and trust; affecting future sales. Meanwhile, the lawsuit has been filed in the U.S District Court for the Southern District of California. Lenovo officials have declined to make any official statements.

February 23, 2015
Pre-installed Software On Lenovo Laptops Makes Them Prone To Hacking: Report

One of the world’s largest PC manufacturer Lenovo Group is in the news for all the wrong reasons. Cyber-security experts are reporting that the Chinese manufacturer had pre-installed a virus laden software on its laptops that apparently makes its devices prone to hacking,

Users back in June reported of a pre-installed programme called Superfish that was an adware.

[quote text_size=”small” author=”Robert Graham” author_title=”CEO of U.S.-based Security Research Firm Errata Security”]

Superfish was malicious software that hijacks and throws open encrypted connections, paving the way for hackers to also commandeer these connections and eavesdrop, in what is known as a man-in-the-middle attack.

[/quote]

Meanwhile, Lenovo officials in January said on a web forum that Superfish has been temporarily been removed from consumer computers. The officials though did refrain from making any official comments during the Lunar New Year holiday in China.

Security experts believe that Lenovo has been negligent, and these computers are still vulnerable even after uninstalling Superfish. The software gives itself total control to take over connections and declare them as trusted and secure, even when they are not secure. If the allegations are substantiated, it will be a major blot on the companies brand identity and may affect future sales.

February 20, 2015