Bloatware on a New Laptop

The Network: Legal firm with hundreds of attorneys, dozens of offices

The Expectation: Brand new laptops are clean, they get infected over time

The Catch: Minutes after the new laptop is connected to the network, communications are observed to low reputation external sites.

The Find: Brand new machines provided by reputed name brand manufacturers are packed with trial software which can leak information.

The Lesson: Install a company approved image of the OS plus trusted applications on every new machine before connecting it to the network