Killer iPods!
Imagine using a presumably sterile Band-Aid to cover up a cut that instead infects you with flesh-eating germs.
That's kind of like what happened to the new owners of some digital picture frames this Christmas, according to this San Francisco Chronicle article. They tore the wrapping off their gifts, plugged them into their computers and loaded their systems with viruses that stole passwords and tried to disable antivirus software.
The Associated Press reports that TomToms, video iPods and other consumer electronics have also come pre-loaded with malware.
It's not necessarily part of an organized scheme to gather your personal information, according to the AP story. More likely a worker at one of the Chinese factories plugged a tainted device of their own into a computer used to test one of these new products, and the viruses spread.
However, the story describes this as another symptom of poor security and low standards --- just like lead in children's toys or contaminants in toothpaste --- stemming from the undying quest for lower prices.
So what's a consumer to do?
Security experts recommend keeping your anti-virus and anti-spyware software up to date --- the only way to fend off new attacks. The Chronicle article says some people advise turning off Autorun on Windows machines, although some of the viruses restore it.
You should also back up your information on a regular basis, just in case a virus ever does break through these barriers.
