Lenovo: anger to preinstalled Service Engine Software – SPIEGEL ONLINE

The hardware manufacturer Lenovo seems to be one of its programs at times to have considered essential: As can be seen from the contributions of computer users, a pre-installed on various devices software called Lenovo Service Engine (LSE) is apparently also on the computer, if you re-touches this ,

In “Y Combinator” writes a user, he had recently installed Windows 8 without an Internet connection, nevertheless was on the computer then Lenovo’s software running. He had deleted the program then, after rebooting, it was, however, returned.

LSE is a program that, according to Lenovo for the first Internet a device has only one function: Then it sends information about the user’s computer to the manufacturer. According to the online magazine “The Next Web” It also ensures that a software called OneKey Optimizier is downloaded.

The user identifiable solubilizing data to LSE not transmit it to Lenovo, but there are many users who such backchannel annoyed – especially if they know nothing about it

Devices from the years 2014 and 2015 affected

A list of the Lenovo site. shows that LSE was preinstalled far at all Lenovo computers, but on a number of models. Possibly affected are computers that were built between October 2014 and April 10, 2015 23 and comes with Windows 7, 8 or 8.1. The Thinkpad series is LSE-free, but the software can be found on devices like the Yoga 11 and 14 3 and the Flex 2 Pro 15.

Calculator, built after April 10, according to Lenovo contain no more LSE. The manufacturer has also already some time ago released a tool that allows the shutdown of LSE. The occasion was a vulnerability in the software.

Especially at LSE is that the software is a little known feature called Windows Platform Binary Table (WPBT) uses. It allows software developers and device manufacturers to store information in the BIOS of a computer so that a particular program will remain in case you reinstall the operating system on the computer. As Bios refers to the software that sits directly on the motherboard of a computer and is loaded first at power up.

Anti-theft software useful function

In a Microsoft statement (Attention, .docx file) this feature is justified, among other things, that they in Anti theft software makes sense. If reinstalled Windows on a stolen computer, also the program plays scratch. Microsoft writes, the function is powerful and give software and hardware vendors the opportunity to link their solutions indefinitely to a device. It is therefore important that the programs are safe, also should not be used to spread the malware WPBT function.

Before now ongoing discussion about LSE to computer users have been annoyed about Lenovo Software Package: In February, the company had been heavily criticized for having temporarily installed a software called Superfish on some notebook models.