Virus Infected Digital Picture Frames Sold to Customers

Best Buy Co. Inc., during the holidays in the end week of December 2007, shipped digital picture frames that contained malicious code capable of infecting any Windows computer connected to the Internet, the company confirmed. NYtimes published this on January 23, 2008.

The digital frames distributed through sale were infected when a virus crept into them during manufacture. As soon as the company became aware of the malicious frames, it discontinued the frame numbered NS-DPF10A, and pulled out rest of the inventory.

While Best Buy didn't specify the exact number of infected frames that customers happened to possess, the company said that it had undertaken an investigation and was contacting the customers being impacted. It also said that the virus shipped with the digital frame was an old malware that any updated antivirus software could tackle.

According to Best Buy, the only computers vulnerable are those running Windows and that too when the picture frame is connected to the PC via the USB cord. Frames such as digital cameras are devised to attach to computers so that a user can download images from the system to the digital frame.

The case of infected frames thus shows how device users can be at a new risk. Researcher Zulfikar Ramzan with Symantec Corp, a security company, said that whenever a gadget with memory storage is attached to a computer, it could result in undesirable behavior. MSNBC published this on January 23, 2008.

Zulfikar explained how by plugging anything to a system, one could be risked with files on the device getting executed onto the system while that file might contain malware.

The risk is greater with USB memory sticks, although any other gadget could also pose a threat. For an attacker, the process is simply a great one to sneak into other's computers. So while the security issues exist, people need to get familiar with the ensuing risks.

Under the Best Buy incident, the company recommended users to run an up-to-date antivirus program before plugging the digital frame in order to allow the security software to scan the gadget and delete the virus from it.

Related article: Virus Infects Through USB Drives

» SPAMfighter News - 2/2/2008