Lenovo might have made one of the biggest mistakes in its history. By pre-installing software called ‘
Superfish ’ to get ads on screens it’s peeved the entire privacy community, which has
been aghast this morning on Twitter TWTR +1.84%. There are serious
security concerns about Lenovo’s move too as attackers could take Superfish and use it to ensnare some unwitting web users.
Here’s what you need to know about Superfish and what you can do to stop it chucking irksome ads on your browser and leaving you open to hackers.
Is Superfish malware?
Lenovo won’t want anyone to call it that, but Superfish has been described as a piece of malware, or an
adware pusher, that the Chinese firm pre-installs on consumer laptops.
Superfish is also the name of the development company, with bases in Tel Aviv and Palo Alto, behind the tool. It claims it has “developed the most advanced and scalable visual search technology in the world” and was
ranked America’s 64th most promising company by Forbes.
