Could Lenovo Computers Contain Spyware?

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I need to buy a new laptop computer and had pretty much decided on Lenovo.

But last night it occurred to me that if the Chinese government wanted to steal trade secrets, putting spyware into Lenovo computers would be a great way to do it.

I see from a web search that Lenovo has been caught putting tracking software on their computers three times this year so that does not give me great confidence. That was easy to detect but a rootkit would be harder to detect.

Am I paranoid or could this be happening?

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There is no way in he!! I would buy a Lenovo. They have already been caught once with spyware in them and all reports that I have read say that there is now a different one. But at this point, since they can hack everything we have with ease, does it matter anymore.:o:

Don't take yourself so seriously, no one else does
All W10 Pro at 22H2,(2 Desktops, 1 Laptop).

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But last night it occurred to me that if the Chinese government wanted to steal trade secrets, putting spyware into Lenovo computers would be a great way to do it..
[…]
Am I paranoid or could this be happening?

Yes to your first question!

It would be so much more effective to put spyware in the routers produced by several Chinese manufacturers – or, for that matter, American manufacturers, or those from any other country.
Look what a previously highly-respected German car manufacturer has been caught doing!

Lenovo business laptops are solid, dependable creatures whose parentage is the IBM Thinkpad, and we buy second-hand ones in preference to all others.

BATcher

Plethora means a lot to me.

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Lenovo business laptops are solid, dependable creatures whose parentage is the IBM Thinkpad, and we buy second-hand ones in preference to all others.

Although I don’t have any plans to buy a laptop anytime soon, it’s nice to know that the older IBM Thinkpads are still well thought of. I have a 2003 IBM T-40 with the docking station and a good battery. I have Win XP Pro on it and I and my wife still use it and like it a lot.

Being 20 something in the 70's was so much better than being 70 something in the insane 20's

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If the hardware is what you want then I’d buy one. You can check for Superfish by following the links at this site, but Lenovo say they have removed it.
If there is more dodgy software on the PCs I’m sure we’ll soon know – there will be plenty of additional scrutiny for a while.

cheers, Paul

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If the hardware is what you want then I’d buy one. You can check for Superfish by following the links at this site, but Lenovo say they have removed it.

They didn’t install Superfish on their business laptops, I’m pleased to say (and, yes, I did check ours!).

BATcher

Plethora means a lot to me.

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If there is more dodgy software on the PCs I’m sure we’ll soon know – there will be plenty of additional scrutiny for a while.

Apparently, even their business laptops do a lot of (Windows 10-style) usage tracking:

Now It’s THREE Pre-Installed Malwares on Lenovo Laptops

Lenovo collects usage data on ThinkPad, ThinkCentre and ThinkStation PCs

Lenovo systems may include software components that communicate with servers on the internet – All ThinkCentre, All ThinkStation, All ThinkPad

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The hardware is usually very good but, for the reasons mentioned here, I most likely would not buy one.

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Hmm! Maybe there is equivalent hardware from other manufacturers?

cheers, Paul

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I need to buy a new laptop computer and had pretty much decided on Lenovo.

But last night it occurred to me that if the Chinese government wanted to steal trade secrets, putting spyware into Lenovo computers would be a great way to do it.

It would also be an excellent way to destroy your business too.

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