Keller Rohrback L.L.P. Investigating Potential Class Action Lawsuit Against Lenovo

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Attorney Advertising -- Keller Rohrback L.L.P. is investigating Lenovo Group Ltd.'s (LNVGY) distribution of select Lenovo laptops and PCs with pre-loaded adware. The adware, from a company called Superfish, is a hidden software program that acts like malware by compromising the computer's security during Web browsing.

Lenovo's Adware Failure

As Ken Westin, a security analyst with software maker Tripwire, told CNN, Lenovo "ha[s] not only betrayed their customers' trust, but also put them at increased risk." Researchers have already discovered an easy way to take advantage of the security flaws created by the pre-installed software, putting the computer user's passwords and other private web browsing information at risk.

On March 2, Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen announced he had sent letters to Lenovo Group Ltd. and the software company Superfish seeking information about the Superfish software. Attorney General Jepsen said it was "extremely concerning that, based on published reports, Lenovo installed this software - which appears to have no meaningful benefit to the consumer - on devices without the purchaser's knowledge."

"It is bad enough that the company sold consumers computers pre-loaded with software designed to track their browsing without alerting them," he said. "Even more alarming is that the software reportedly has a significant security vulnerability, putting computer users at risk of hacking."

Lenovo's Chief Technology Officer, Peter Hortensius, told the Wall Street Journal that Lenovo "‘didn't do enough' due diligence before installing Superfish" and that the company agrees "that this was not something we want to have on the system[.]" Mr. Hortensius also acknowledged that Lenovo is evaluating its practices and the "outcome could be a clearer description of what software is on a user's machine, and why it's there."

Even more troubling, Lenovo's Mark Cohen has said that Lenovo knew of the security vulnerability that Superfish creates, and that it had asked Superfish to remove the damaging features from the Superfish software. Lenovo, however, reportedly failed to confirm that Superfish did so before selling computers. Moreover, Lenovo apparently did not perform the same "rigorous" testing of third-party software that it performed on its own software.

According to a Forbes report, Superfish paid Lenovo between $200,000 and $250,000 to preinstall its software in Lenovo notebooks.

Keller Rohrback's Investigation

"When consumers buy a laptop, they reasonably trust it to be safe, not pre-loaded with malicious software that makes them attractive hacking targets," said Gretchen Cappio, a partner at Keller Rohrback and one of the attorneys at the firm representing consumers in the Sony data breach litigation.

U.S. consumers who bought a Lenovo laptop or PC may have potential claims against the company. If you purchased a Lenovo laptop or PC and would like discuss our investigation, please contact attorneys Matthew Preusch or Gretchen Cappio at (800) 776-6044 or via email at consumer@kellerrohrback.com.

Keller Rohrback's Success

Keller Rohrback is a leader in representing consumers and employees who have had their personal information compromised. It filed the first class action lawsuit on behalf of former Sony employees affected by the Sony data breach. The firm also filed a proposed class action complaint regarding the data breach at Target, alleging that Target failed to secure and protect the personal information of its customers' credit and debit card accounts, and other personal information. More recently, the firm filed a proposed class action stemming from the data breach at Anthem, Inc. that compromised Anthem insureds' personal information.

Keller Rohrback, with offices in Seattle, Phoenix, New York, and Santa Barbara, serves as lead and co-lead counsel in class actions throughout the country. Our Complex Litigation Group is proud to offer its expertise to clients nationwide, and our trial lawyers have obtained on behalf of clients in excess of seven billion dollars.

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

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