Wracked by the “Superfish” adware debacle last week, ensuing criticism worldwide and then hacked earlier this week, Lenovo on Friday issued a public “promise” to deliver “a cleaner, safer PC.”

Plus, it is offering free service to a McAfee security service.

“The events of last week reinforce the principle that customer experience, security and privacy must be our top priorities. With this in mind, we will significantly reduce preloaded applications. Our goal is clear: To become the leader in providing cleaner, safer PCs,” Lenovo said.

Lenovo pre-installed the Superfish adware on laptops targeted for consumers between September of last year and January. More than 40 models were affected. Lenovo readily acknowledged it had installed the software, had stopped doing so in late January when concerns by customers were expressed, and initially insisted it posed no “malware” or security threat. That statement was later changed when Lenovo said it became aware of the problem from other sources.

Some customers, security groups and a lot of media accused Lenovo of invading customer privacy.


WTW coverage of the ‘Superfish’ debacle:

  • Lenovo won’t discuss extent of hacker attack
  • Lizard Group claims hacker attack on Lenovo
  • Feds warn Lenovo laptop owners to ditch software
  • Lenovo apologizes for adware
  • Superfish: We’re not to blame for security vulnerability
  • Lenovo: We’re no longer installing adware
  • Lenovo says adware “helps” consumers; customers say no
  • Is Lenovo spying on you? PC giant under fire for adware

Late last week, the Department of Homeland Security issued an alert about the adware, telling consumers to rid their machines of it.

Going forward, Lenovo says no more “bloatware,” thus the “cleaner, safer” pledge.

“We are starting immediately, and by the time we launch our Windows 10 products, our standard image will only include the operating system and related software, software required to make hardware work well (for example, when we include unique hardware in our devices, like a 3D camera), security software and Lenovo applications,” Lenovo said.

“This should eliminate what our industry calls “adware” and “bloatware.” For some countries, certain applications customarily expected by users will also be included.”

The world’s No. 1 PC maker, which based its executive headquarters in Morrisville and most of its operations in China, has issued numerous updates about Superfish and an apology from its chief technology officer. Lenovo also has issued a statement about the hacking.

The focus on the Friday update, however, is Superfish.

The latest update is not attributed to anyone within Lenovo.

The full statement follows:

Lenovo’s Promise for a Cleaner, Safer PC

“Just over a week ago, the Superfish visual discovery software preloaded onto Lenovo consumer notebooks beginning in September 2014 created concern and frustration among our customers and the security and privacy communities. We have worked with partners to create tools and update antivirus programs to eliminate Superfish software. And an automatic removal tool is available on Lenovo.com. No ThinkPads, desktops, tablets, smartphones nor any enterprise server or storage product was impacted.

“Additionally, we will offer Lenovo PC users affected by this issue a free 6-month subscription to McAfee LiveSafe service (or a 6-month extension for existing subscribers). More information will be available at Lenovo.com within 7 days.

“The events of last week reinforce the principle that customer experience, security and privacy must be our top priorities. With this in mind, we will significantly reduce preloaded applications. Our goal is clear: To become the leader in providing cleaner, safer PCs. 

“We are starting immediately, and by the time we launch our Windows 10 products, our standard image will only include the operating system and related software, software required to make hardware work well (for example, when we include unique hardware in our devices, like a 3D camera), security software and Lenovo applications. This should eliminate what our industry calls “adware” and “bloatware.” For some countries, certain applications customarily expected by users will also be included.

“Lenovo will post information about ALL software we preload on our PCs that clearly explains what each application does. And we will continuously solicit feedback from our user community and industry experts to ensure we have the right applications and best user experience.

“We view these actions as a starting point. We believe that these steps will make our technology better, safer and more secure.”