Windows users are reporting that Hewlett Packard’s HP Smart application is appearing on their systems, despite them not having any of the manufacturer’s hardware attached.
While Microsoft has remained tight-lipped on what is happening, folks on various social media platforms noted the app’s appearance, which seems to afflict both Windows 10 and Windows 11.
The Windows Update mechanism is used to deploy third-party applications and drivers as well as Microsoft’s updates, and we’d bet someone somewhere has accidentally checked the wrong box.
[…]
WindowsLatest reported the issue occurring on both physical Windows 10 hardware and a Windows 11 virtual machine.
HP Smart is innocuous enough. It’s an application used in conjunction with HP’s printer hardware and can simply be uninstalled.
However, the question is how the application got installed in the first place on a machine with no HP hardware attached or on a network, according to affected users.
[…]
Source: Windows users report appearance of unwanted HP app • The Register
Robin Edgar
Organisational Structures | Technology and Science | Military, IT and Lifestyle consultancy | Social, Broadcast & Cross Media | Flying aircraft