Your company has issued laptops to its employees for remote work. During a routine security audit, you identify that these laptops come with pre-installed software from the manufacturer that is not being used by the employees. What concerns should you have regarding this software from a security perspective?
The employees may use this software regularly, which could lead to potential data leaks.
This software can take up disk space, but it does not pose any security concerns.
The software could be useful for productivity, hence poses no significant risk.
This software may contain vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers because they often go unmanaged and unpatched.
Pre-installed software that is not necessary for the user's activities, commonly known as bloatware, can pose a security risk if it includes vulnerabilities that are not managed, as it can be exploited by attackers. It increases the attack surface unnecessarily, and any vulnerability found in this software could compromise the device. Regular usage of the software that is unknown or untrusted should not be a primary concern because the risk lies in the mere presence of the software, not in its use.
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