Dell has made customers vulnerable to hacking by installing a root certificate on its products that could be used to expose the user's communications, according to reports, and Dell has already issued an apology and cleared up the issue.
Dell installed the service in order to make customers contact customer service and technical support in an easier way, via the Dell Foundation Service application, apparently without realizing that it could also be used to fingerprint users when they use private browsing features, delete cookies, and even if they use apps to block being tracked, Ars Technica reports.
"The certificate is not malware or adware. Rather, it was intended to provide the system service tag to Dell online support allowing us to quickly identify the computer model, making it easier and faster to service our customers. This certificate is not being used to collect personal customer information. It's also important to note that the certificate will not reinstall itself once it is properly removed using the recommended Dell process," a Dell blog post states, according to Tech Times.
There are several methods users can follow in order to disable the root certificate and prevent hackers from accessing any personal information that the certificate exposes.
You can choose whether you want to download the instructions to permanently remove the certificate, download an app that will uninstall the app for you or wait for the software update on Dec. 1, which will automatically remove the certificate once detected, Business Insider reports.
