Issues with Preinstalled Certificates

By   ISBuzz Team
Writer , Information Security Buzz | Nov 30, 2015 10:00 pm PST

A second issue has been discovered in Dell computers leaving users’ personal information vulnerable, researchers backed by the US government said. Mark James, security specialist at IT security Firm ESET explains why Dell might have shipped a self-signed certificate with many computers.

[su_note note_color=”#ffffcc” text_color=”#00000″]Mark James, Security Specialist at IT Security Firm ESET :

“Manufacturers these days ship so much extra software preinstalled on new systems that often the security of these products can be overlooked. Some of this software is from third party companies mixed in with their own and integrated tightly into the system in an attempt to ensure it stays on the hardware and is not removed.

The software has many purposes, some good, some not so good ranging from updating drivers to providing subsidised features in an attempt to “enhance” the user experience. Manufacturers must vet every single piece of software that they ship these days to ensure these problems do not arise. Although the affected software may not be theirs by design, it still impacts their brand and more importantly can in some cases seriously impact our security. In an ideal scenario extra software should stay “extra” and a choice is made to install by the new owner and not the manufacturer.”[/su_note][su_box title=”About ESET” style=”noise” box_color=”#336588″]ESETSince 1987, ESET® has been developing award-winning security software that now helps over 100 million users to Enjoy Safer Technology. Its broad security product portfolio covers all popular platforms and provides businesses and consumers around the world with the perfect balance of performance and proactive protection. The company has a global sales network covering 180 countries, and regional offices in Bratislava, San Diego, Singapore and Buenos Aires.[/su_box]

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