Dell waits only 6 months to pull a Lenovo (laptops, installed, remove)

[NHDave]

As proof that one company can't learn from anothers mistakes, Dell decided it was their turn to put user security at risk.

https://grahamcluley.com/2015/11/ede...pcs-need-know/

"Affected Dell computers are being shipped with a pre-installed trusted root certificate - called eDellRoot - that can intercept HTTPS encrypted traffic for each and every website you visit."

This was done of course, for the end user.

"Dell has claimed in statements issued to the press that it began to load the current version of eDellRoot onto "consumer and commercial devices in August to make servicing PC issues faster and easier for customers."

Dell has not yet provided a method to remove the vulnerability, which currently re-installs the certificate if you try to remove it.

[edit] Removal instructions can be found here
http://en.community.dell.com/dell-bl...ot-certificate

[JTE1969]

I have a Dell E1705 and a Lenovo W520... Do you mean both laptops have secret spying on me?

I do suspect that there is too much spying on everyone nowadays anyway...

[NHDave]

There is a link to a website in the article I linked to that will show if you're affected.

[harhar]

I was going to buy a Dell just the other day, then I saw this.

I was on the fence (I was actually wanting the Dell, but my wife is more familiar with Macs) so we went with a macbook air instead.

Not to start a flame war, but as much as I'm a PC guy, fragmentation and the ability for manufacturers to go rogue and do these sorts of things have always been an issue. Apple's walled garden here in this case is a pro.

[NHDave]

Originally Posted by harhar

I was going to buy a Dell just the other day, then I saw this.

I was on the fence (I was actually wanting the Dell, but my wife is more familiar with Macs) so we went with a macbook air instead.

Not to start a flame war, but as much as I'm a PC guy, fragmentation and the ability for manufacturers to go rogue and do these sorts of things have always been an issue. Apple's walled garden here in this case is a pro.

Don't give Apple too much credit, they've had their share of security issues lately.

One of the latest Major zero-day security flaws in iOS & OS X allow theft of both Keychain and app passwords | 9to5Mac

[harhar]

Again I'm not an Apple apologist, but a company that willingly puts "spyware" on their computer willingly is a bit different then finding a vulnerability that may not have been intentional.

Though end result is the same, and ultimately all companies should be held accountable for keeping their users data/privacy safe.