Lenovo's Superfish Scandal is Spyware on Top of Spyware (Microsoft Windows), the Problem is Inherently Proprietary Software

Dr. Roy Schestowitz

2015-02-21 01:55:17 UTC
Modified: 2015-02-21 01:56:36 UTC

Summary: Shifting focus to the root problem, which is neither Lenovo nor its laptops but the non-free programs installed on hardware

WHEN it was revealed that governments had constructed Stuxnet to sabotage computers almost all reporters refused to call out Windows, despite Stuxnet being exclusive to Windows. The same is happening right now in relation to Superfish. We posted links to a lot of articles about it (see our daily links for about a dozen) and none of them bothered reporting the fact that only clients of Microsoft (the NSA's ally) were affected. Having watched dozens of articles about it we can say that almost not a single article emphasised that it only affects Windows. Lenovo says it didn't know about it and given the shadowy background of Superfish (its CEO came from the surveillance complex) it's possible that Lenovo was tricked or bribed into installing this back door.

"Lenovo's ThinkPads, which originally came from IBM, are famously GNU/Linux-friendly."The CBS-owned ZDNet has Microsoft booster Mary Branscombe spinning that Superfish scandal to even imply that people should "love Windows". Well, at least she points out that it's a Windows issue, albeit that's not her intention (she is just a Microsoft mouthpiece seeking to divert blame).

Robert Pogson responded to Branscombe by stating:

I recommend everyone switch to GNU/Linux. It’s easy. Demand your local retailers sell them. Shop online for a GNU/Linux PC. Heck, install it yourself. Heck, you can even get that other OS to start the process. I recommend Debian GNU/Linux, software that works for you, not some corporation with the morality of a snake. The beauty of it is that the licence you get with the downloads includes the right to examine, modify and distribute the software, so you can cut out all that third-party crapware, if there were any. Debian doesn’t bother attaching crapware to PCs it doesn’t sell…

It's not just that. Windows, with or without crapware, has back doors. GNU/Linux hasn't. Free software is essential for those who pursue real computer security, as opposed to so-called 'national security'.

Here is the statement that the FSF has just made about it (hours ago):

Security experts have discovered a highly threatening vulnerability in software preinstalled on some Windows computers manufactured by Lenovo through January 2015. Extreme negligence on the part of Lenovo and unscrupulous programming by its adware partner Superfish seem to have caused the vulnerability.

The FSF does point out that it's a "Windows computers" issue. Well, there is no such thing as "Windows computers", as such computers can have Windows wiped and GNU/Linux installed instead. Lenovo's ThinkPads, which originally came from IBM, are famously GNU/Linux-friendly. ⬆

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Lenovo's Superfish Scandal is Spyware on Top of Spyware (Microsoft Windows), the Problem is Inherently Proprietary Software

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