Adware on your devices
Adware is software that once installed, creates advertisements based on user data and search patterns. The problems with adware are that it is often unwanted, a high security risk and is frustrating when it makes the user interface cluttered. Even though it requires consent from the user before installing, often times users unknowingly consent to its installation. Once on the device, it is rather difficult to remove and will greatly affect performance. The main concern is that adware issues its own security certificates, resigning all SSL certificates presented by HTTPS sites with its own, this is known as a man-in-the-middle attack and can be a major security risk. Whether personal or professional, no device directly benefits from this software being installed. Recently the computer company Lenovo has admitted they installed Silverfish, a form of adware, on many of their devices without customer consent. Below is a list of devices that may have preinstalled Silverfish on them.
- G Series: G410, G510, G710, G40-70, G50-70, G40-30, G50-30, G40-45, G50-45
- U Series: U330P, U430P, U330Touch, U430Touch, U530Touch
- Y Series: Y430P, Y40-70, Y50-70
- Z Series: Z40-75, Z50-75, Z40-70, Z50-70
- S Series: S310, S410, S40-70, S415, S415Touch, S20-30, S20-30Touch
- Flex Series: Flex2 14D, Flex2 15D, Flex2 14, Flex2 15, Flex2 14(BTM), Flex2 15(BTM), Flex 10
- MIIX Series: MIIX2-8, MIIX2-10, MIIX2-11
- YOGA Series: YOGA2Pro-13, YOGA2-13, YOGA2-11BTM, YOGA2-11HSW E Series: E10-30
If you or your business owns one of these devices, Lenovo has released a tool to remove this adware. It is recommended to use this tool to remove silverfish from any device if you suspect they might be installed on your device. Lenovo’s CTO said this accidental installation of Silverfish was a major mistake by the company and they have severed ties will all adware companies for the foreseeable future.
remove-superfish-instructions (instructions from Lenovo themselves on how to go about uninstalling Silverfish adware)
Next time you download something or install a piece of software from the internet be sure to read through the installation wizard carefully to ensure you do not accidentally consent to adware installation.