If you lose files, you can probably restore them. If your credit gets stolen, you can eventually restore it. But, if malware starts storing child pornography on your PC, you’re done. In a world where anything goes-as Paris Hilton’s ‘career’ and SC governor Mark Sanford continuing in office after his ‘hike’ on the Appalachian trail shows–there are still some things you cannot do and survive in society. Near the top of that list is child pornography. Now, thanks to some particularly nasty Windows malware, your computer might be being used to store it and you may never know it until it’s too late.
A recent AP report revealed that pedophiles are using “virus-infected PCs to remotely store and view their stash without fear they’ll get caught.” It’s not just sick people though. “Pranksters or someone trying to frame you can tap viruses to make it appear that you surf illegal Web sites. Whatever the motivation, you get child porn on your computer – and might not realize it until police knock at your door.”
The AP “found cases in which innocent people have been branded as pedophiles after their co-workers or loved ones stumbled upon child porn placed on a PC through a virus. It can cost victims hundreds of thousands of dollars to prove their innocence.”