Two articles published within the past week reveal that Windows 10 PCs from a number of high-profile companies (including Dell, Acer, Asus, HP and Lenovo) come pre-installed with Bloatware programs that can completely compromise your computer’s security.

The problem is related to the “helpful” utilities installed by the manufacturers.  Apparently, this bloatware/software searches for updates on a regular basis; and those updates are supplied over non-secure connections.  This allows attackers to pretend to be the manufacturer, and offer “updates” for your computer – with those updates able to deliver all manner of malicious content.

While most of the named manufacturers are making attempts to resolve the issue, Asus has not yet responded to calls from security analysts.  And in an unusual but admirable move, Lenovo has gone as far as to recommend that purchasers of their computers immediately remove the Lenovo Accelerator application.

You can get further technical details about the original alert here as well as learning more about the Lenovo announcement here.

If you have any difficulty finding or uninstalling your computer’s bloatware, please contact your IT support resource, or call me at Safe and Secure Computing.

On a related note, I have heard from many clients who have had their Windows 7 and 8 systems automatically attempt to upgrade to Windows 10.  Microsoft has become quite aggressive in forcing users to switch.  Having upgraded multiple computers from Windows 7 and Windows 8 (and 8.1), I can report that most upgrades have gone smoothly.  If you are thinking of migrating to Windows 10 and have the opportunity to upgrade at no charge, don’t wait until the last minute, since Microsoft’s download servers will become more congested as the July 29th deadline approaches.