This is exactly why you should remove any bundled software from vendors and try to start afresh when picking up a new machine.
Abusing Windows' ability to obtain HW-drivers though UEFI (something which can be used for good) to bundle shit-ware is just absolutely rotten.
I think it would be perfectly fair for Microsoft to require OEM licensees to not use that feature for shitware installations. I can't see how that would fall afoul of antitrust or related regulations. Maybe I'm wrong though, that was a while ago and it wasn't my specialty when I practiced law.
Edit: As pointed out by josteink, the BIOS wasn't backdoored - it was used to install a backdoor. But calling what it installed "insecure Windows-software" is also inaccurate. According to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superfish#Lenovo_security_inci..., its purpose was man-in-the-middle attacks against the user. So I still think criminal liability and jail time would be just. Ordinary people have been sent to jail for far less.
That would be up to a prosecutor. A civil suit would take the form of a class action.
The BIOS itself was fine, but it contained insecure Windows-software which it requested/instructed Windows to install.
Install any other OS (like Linux) and there would be no backdoor at all.
To be clear I’m not trying to defend Lenovo’s actions here, I’m just trying to be clear about what this incident was actually about. The simplistic description is IMO a bit too simplistic in this case.
For example, would loading Grub first, and then loading Windows from Grub, prevent the issue?
If you wipe the whole disk, you still need to use a bootable restore USB to restore it.
This has nothing to do with the fact that it is UEFI booting.
I didn't want to use PureOS so I installed NixOS and everything seems to work fine.
I used to have an issue where the fan would get stuck on high after resume, but I think that was fixed when I updated coreboot to the latest version.
The laptop is certainly nice though.
I will probably still buy one if it materializes, and is functional.
Wait, can you expand on this? Are you saying (current, existing) Bluetooth radios can be used for location tracking without additional hardware/OS support?
Holy cow. Would you have a link on this?
Here's a random article covering it https://www.howtogeek.com/226308/the-windows-platform-binary...
You can find others by searching for "lenovo wpbt" or "lenovo unremovable crapware".
I guess that is what the feature is designed for, though.
UEFI doesn't install anything. It provides a machine-specific binary for Windows to install (intended to ensure that Windows has proper drivers for all the machine’s hardware).
Windows then decides to install this, based on the assumption that OEMs won’t bundle non-critical shit-ware using this method. Which has turned out to be the faulty assumption here.
Either way: Use any other OS except Windows and these UEFI-bundled binaries does nothing. They’re duds.
UEFI doesn’t need to be “tricked” and it can’t force the installation of anything into an OS not wanting it.
It’s really simple, so no need to invent overly complicated threat models.
I used to think the same until I got a T480. I was drawn to it because it was one of the few laptops that still has a direct hardware Function-key row (I use linux, so software Function Keys are not fun).
The keyboard, while mechanically excellent, is horribly designed if you depend on it to do your job: They "innovated" by moving the Home/End keys up to the Function row, they "innovated" by completely removing the context menu key from the keyboard and placing the PrintScreen key (of all things) in its place, and they also placed the Fn key at the bottom left corner of the keyboard where Ctrl is usually located (you can fortunately swap Ctrl/Fn with each other in the bios, so the last one isn't a issue if you're willing to live with mislabeled keys).
If you're a heavy keyboard user, I strongly suggest properly testing a laptop's keyboard before buying.
Personally, I'm currently standardized&stockpiled on two legacy ThinkPad models, and one of the reasons is keyboards. I also transplant keyboard parts manufactured to T60 specs, into later models, because Lenovo started making the keyboard flex-prone, even as the part was otherwise equivalent.
While I never used the context key (and indeed neither my 60% layout nor the original IBM Model M layout seem to have it anyway), I don't see the purpose of a Print Screen there either.
The Fn/Ctrl swap is... confusing. I'm guessing Lenovo tried to copy the MacBook format without thinking it through. Personally, I prefer Caps Lock as Control, though. I never use Caps Lock.
Home and End on laptops have almost always (it seems) been up on the function row. On a traditional layout, they're to the right, which obviously would not work on smaller form factors. Even with the 7-row keyboard, it was on the top.
Having tried other light laptops including the MacBook 13, the XPS 13, the HP Spectre 13, the Razer Blade Stealth, and the Dell Latitude 73 something or other (this was pretty good)... they just can't compete mechanically. No concavity on the keycaps is a big bummer. Some of them are obnoxiously loud. Some of them have piss-poor tactile feedback. Some of them are okay, but lack travel. Some of them bottom out too hard. Some of them bottom out too softly. It's a rough keyboard game out there. None of the layouts work for me on their own, so I always have to end up tweaking them slightly to my tastes. Caps Lock is useless to me, and I prefer Backspace being one key down. I've considered swapping Right Shift, but I'm not sure what to swap it to. Any ideas?
For some reason some screws have fallen out the S1 and I have no idea where to get replacements, but it still feels fairly sturdy. I like the keyboards on both machines even though they are very different. The track pads are decent for a Windows laptop.
I really wish Lenovo would open retail stores. It would be nice to be able to try the machine out before you buy it and have a local place to take it for service.
The cruft that they pack in are a bunch of system utilities that replicate the basic Windows tools. It's mostly stuff about Wifi management, power management, etc... None of it seems to be very well made and I recommend getting rid of it all and getting as close to a stock version of Windows as you can.
Apple keeps track of what you type for autocorrect and word prediction. "Apple installs a keylogger on every iPhone."
(sarcasm)
[i thought it uninstalled itself after a few months]
The protections for pre-installed apps help to make sure nothing else tampers with them, e.g. injecting some malware, but I'm sure you can remove those protections and reclaim the 5 MB if you really wanted to.
https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/Se...
Disabling system integrity protection to uninstall them should not be required and I'm guessing wouldn't be a long term solution anyways because likely they would reappear when upgrading macOS versions. There is also the issue of why does chess need greater protection from being tampered with than say Apple Pages.