Factory Pre-Installed Viruses Courtesy of Chinese QC

Along with toys coated with lead paint for your kids, poisonous food for your pet, and toxic toothpaste for the whole family, you can add electronic devices pre-loaded with viruses from the factory to the fine list of quality products coming out of China. An article from the AP posted on CNN reports that many new electronic devices are being shipped from the factory infected with viruses. The devices include new iPods, digital picture frames, and GPS navigation systems.

The problem appears to be quality control in Chinese factories. Devices may be plugged into computers that are infected for testing and may not be the result of malicious acts. The report goes on to say:

The recent infections may be accidental, but security experts say they point out an avenue of attack that could be exploited by hackers.

"We'll probably see a steady increase over time," said Zulfikar Ramzan, a computer security researcher at Symantec Corp. "The hackers are still in a bit of a testing period; they're trying to figure out if it's really worth it."

Thousands of people whose antivirus software isn't up to date may have been infected without even knowing it, experts warn. And even protective software may not be enough.

In one case, digital frames sold at Sam's Club contained a previously unknown bug that not only steals online gaming passwords but disables antivirus software, according to security researchers at CA Inc.

Why wait to get your virus from clicking on an attachment from a spammer when you can get it straight from the factory?