Kids gave me a TomTom GPS for Christmas. I do not appear to have an infected computer however, the kids set it up on their computer but have not heard any complaining of infection so maybe I got a clean unit.



Some Viruses Come Pre-Installed

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080313/factory_ins...ed_viruses.html - full story

Thursday March 13, 8:39 pm ET
By Jordan Robertson, AP Technology Writer
AP IMPACT: Your Next High-Tech Gadget May Come Bundled With an Extra -- a Virus


"From iPods to navigation systems, some of today's hottest gadgets are landing on store shelves with some unwanted extras from the factory -- pre-installed viruses that steal passwords, open doors for hackers and make computers spew spam.

Computer users have been warned for years about virus threats from downloading Internet porn and opening suspicious e-mail attachments. Now they run the risk of picking up a digital infection just by plugging a new gizmo into their PCs.

Recent cases reviewed by The Associated Press include some of the most widely used tech devices: Apple iPods, digital picture frames sold by Target and Best Buy stores and TomTom navigation gear.

In most cases, Chinese factories -- where many companies have turned to keep prices low -- are the source.

So far, the virus problem appears to come from lax quality control -- perhaps a careless worker plugging an infected music player into a factory computer used for testing -- rather than organized sabotage by hackers or the Chinese factories.

It's the digital equivalent of the recent series of tainted products traced to China, including toxic toothpaste, poisonous pet food and toy trains coated in lead paint."

Hi peaches

another example to catch an infection happened to me 3 weeks ago. My Dad handed me over a SD memory chip of his digital camera to create a CD with all pictures on it.

I inserted the card into the card reader when suddenly KAV poped up with an infection alert about an Troja Droper containing a keylogger! KAV could remove that nasty.

I asked my Dad how that trojan could get on that card. He told me that he's been in his fav photo shop to get a paper pic from a digital one. The photographer didn't take care of his computer where he's copying those pics for a further processing.

And the lesson out of that: Keep an eye on your SD or related memory modules of your digicams and USB memory sticks!!!

Greetz
B. Udo

I almost find it funny that viruses really behave like..well, viruses. Contact with carriers can infect the uninfected, which spreads into the whole thing.

One thing I hate is when trojans or minor viruses infect html files I have. Many archives I download use html files to structure the file access, so it's annoying to occasionally lose it.