Bloatware – a patching dilema
When you buy a new laptop or desktop computer it often comes loaded with a bunch of unwanted “bloatware”… software that you never wanted and would prefer it didn’t exist. Uninstalling the software can be tedious and time consuming leaving many consumers to just ignore the issue. This becomes a problem as these applications often have discovered vulnerabilities that need to be patched and aren’t leaving consumer systems ripe for compromise.
In a business context the problem is a little easier to solve as the systems can be simply wiped and loaded with the company default configuration before it is put into service. Some companies don’t do this and while they may have decent anti-malware and operating system patching in place, these unwanted applications leave them exposed. If you’re a business and don’t have a desktop/laptop image for your business computers, I suggest you create one or have one created. It will not only eliminate the bloatware problem but a standard system will save a lot of headaches for your IT support personnel.
It would be best if vendors would simply leave off this added bunch of unwanted software but there is too much pressure to pester the consumer with this garbage.
