Malware and viruses are bad, but so long as you’re careful, your PC will stay squeaky clean, right? Maybe not. Microsoft has found that some PCs from China are coming with malware pre-installed, as many as a fifth.
As if bloatware wasn’t bad enough, the four offending computers all run forged versions of Windows, forged versions of Windows with all kinds of nasty functionality baked right in. Generally, the malware is designed to control the PCs for use in a botnet, mostly for DDOS attacks. In worse cases, the viruses could remotely engage cameras and microphones.
You’re probably safe; most of the computers that suffer from this come from relatively unregulated markets like China. Still, even if your laptop is clean having more infected computers out there in the wild isn’t going to be good for anyone. Microsoft has been trying to fix the problem with a lawsuit, but it’s a big problem to fix. For the time being, be careful buying a new computer overseas, especially if the price is too good to believe. [The Guardian]
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