Computer Security Internet Virus Frames Innocent PC Users for Child...

Internet Virus Frames Innocent PC Users for Child Pornography

In an unforeseen situation an internet virus was found to frame a computer user as a collector of child pornography. Out of all of the menacing things that a computer Virus could do, this ranks at the top.

Ever heard of the excuses that school aged kids make when they didn't finish their homework? You usually get, "my dog ate it" or "I lost it". What if someone was wrongly accused of having child pornography on their computer? Surely that case is just as easy to solve as the kid that didn't do his homework right? Well, not exactly. Their are cases that computer users have had a type of virus on their system that purportedly frames them as a pedophile or collector of illegal images of nude children.

We found where a recent investigation by Associated Press discovered cases of innocent people that because of a virus infection were being labeled as pedophiles after co-workers or family members uncovered child porn on their computer.

In this day and age it is hardly easy to prove your innocence if you have been found to have child pornography on your computer.

In one highlighted case, Micheal Fiola, a former investigator with an agency that works on compensation cases, was framed for possession of child pornography facing up to 5 years in prison. Fiola received all of the harsh treatment after getting labeled a pedophile from getting fired from his job to receiving death threats. Fiola stayed the course to fight for his innocence and ended up spending upwards of $250,000 in legal fees to prove his case.

After an abundance of money and time spent in the case of Fiola proving his innocence, their was light found at the end of the tunnel that no one really knew to look for. It was only until an inspection of Fiola's laptop, that contained the child porn, was it found to be heavily infected with viruses that connect to child porn sites. Finally, Fiola had a break in the case. Fiola's laptop was infected with computer viruses that were programmed to visit up to 40 child porn sites per minute. Many illegal images were downloaded onto his laptop without his knowledge. It took 11 months after the defenses filing of their findings on his laptop to put this case to an end and for Fiola to rightfully claim his innocence.

As odd as this case may seem, it is a reality that we face in this new age of high-tech cyber attacks. It is estimated that 1 billion Internet connected PCs worldwide are infected with viruses that could give hackers full control over the compromised system. That means it gives hackers the ability to do what they please with an infected computer which could result in the computer owner being liable for illegal activity or damages.

You may ask, what can you do to protect yourself from something like this happening to your home or work computer? To some it may come as common since to install and run an updated copy of a reputable anti-virus or anti-spyware application on your computer. Unfortunately, most people continue surf the Internet day after day without taking the necessary precautions to avoid a malware attack. It is rather simple, ask your employer to install, or even update, an anti-virus application. If you are a home user, then you should take action now and install a good working security application that is able to prevent or detect computer viruses. You do not want to end up on the six-o-clock news as the latest pedophile found in your area.

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