Beyond Superfish: Turns out SSL-trashing spyware is widespread

Last week Lenovo found itself in deep trouble over the Superfish spyware that it installed on many recent consumer laptops. Designed to insert ads into customers’ browsing experiences, the software has very insecure foundations and basically made users vulnerable to hacking attacks.

Turns out it’s not just Lenovo customers who should be worried about their exposure — the insecurity of Superfish is largely due to its use of technology from an Israeli company called Komodia, and quite a few software packages in the areas of antivirus and parental protection also use Komodia’s engine. Examples highlighted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security include products from parental control outfits Qustodio, Kurupira, Infoweise and Komodia’s own KeepMyFamilySecure, and security firms such as Lavasoft and Websecure.

Qustodio wrote in a Saturday blog post that it was working on a “fix in order to avoid potential phishing attacks from external malicious users.”

These…