Millions of PCs ship with bloatware riddled with security flaws, say researchers

[JMH]

Most major PC makers are shipping their desktops and notebooks with pre-installed software, which researchers say is riddled with security vulnerabilities.

A highly-critical report by Duo Security released Tuesday said Acer, Asus, Dell, HP and Lenovo all ship with software that contains at least one vulnerability, which could allow an attacker to run malware at the system-level -- in other words, completely compromising an out-of-the-box PC.

The group of PC makers accounted for upwards of 38 million PCs shipped in the first quarter of the year, according to estimates garnered from IDC's latest count.

The vast majority of those will be sold to consumers, and most of those will come with some level of system tool used to monitor the computer's health or processes. This so-called bloatware -- also known as junkware or crapware -- is preinstalled software that lands on new PCs and laptops, and some Android devices. Often created by the PC maker, it's usually deeply embedded in the system and difficult to remove.

Millions of PCs ship with bloatware riddled with security flaws, say researchers | ZDNet

 

[Digerati]

All the more reason to build your own, or commission a local shop to custom build one for you. In this way, you can select the components that fit your need and not what these companies say you need. Plus, you can compromise on the budget where it make sense for you, and step up quality where needed (like the power supply and case cooling). And when done, you have only the OS and programs you want on your computer with no bloat, fluff, or security vulnerabilities.

Let's not forget that some companies are famous, or rather infamous for intentionally installing spyware on the computers they sell too. Lenovo is, IMO, a company to avoid like the plague because over the years they have repeatedly been caught planting spyware and other "malicious" software on their computers. They get caught, promise to clean up their act (and maybe do for a few months) then do it again, and again! :mad7: :censored2: :censored2: :censored2: :mad7:

De-crapify the Crappiest PCs

The thought of building your own computer is intimidating to many, but it really is much simpler than it sounds. If you know how to use a #2 (the most common size) Phillips screwdriver, you got it. The rest is just following the instructions in the user guides that come with your components. The hardest thing for me is connecting the case's front panel wires to the motherboard and that's mostly because of my 64 year old eyes. But now, many motherboard makers have made that much easier by providing a little adapter you connect the front panel wires into outside of the case where you (or I anyway) can see (without my own hand blocking my view), then you just plug the adapter into the motherboard. Okay, you might also need a little hex-nut driver to install the standoffs in the case to mount the motherboard on. But even there, my last two cases came with a handy little #2 Phillips screwdriver adapter for that too! :dsmile: Piece of cake. You just need to make sure you only put a standoff where there is a corresponding motherboard mounting hole. The only other precaution is to avoid touching the electrical contacts and pins of the RAM and CPU (and graphics card, if using one), and touch bare metal of the case interior occasionally to discharge any static buildup in your body.

Too bad there is not a thriving self-build industry for notebooks. We consumers really have to be cautious there.