Some owners of laptops from Dell have reportedly discovered they contain pre-installed root certificates that are the same on every system. The programs have the same kind of security issue as the Superfish software that was found to be pre-installed on some Lenovo laptops earlier this year.
Engadget reports that one of the laptops that had the root certificate was the Dell XPS 15. It points out that if hackers got their hands on the certificate's key, they could, in theory, break into every single one of the laptops that had the program installed. Unlike Lenovo's Superfish program, which was created by a third-party, Dell's root certificate seems to have been made by the PC maker itself.
Dell has now issued its own statement on this issue:
"Customer security and privacy is a top concern for Dell. We have a strict policy of minimizing the number of pre-load applications and assessing all applications for their security and usability. Dell has an extensive end-user security practice that develops capabilities and best practices to best protect our customers. We have a team investigating the current situation and will update you as soon as we have more information."
Source: Engadget
