Computer Virus Frames Man for Child Porn Downloads

Most people will agree that any crimes against children are among the worst that can be committed.  Among these offences is child pornography which is both illegal to own and to create.  Unlike some other crimes, there is a serious stigma attached to anyone who is found to be in possession of this illicit material, even if they are found to be innocent of the crime at a later time.  One couple understands this all too well.

ABC News recently told the story of Michael and Robin Fiola.  Michael had been given a state-issued laptop for his work as a former workers’ compensation investigator in Massachusetts.  His employer became suspicious after his internet bill “showed that he used 4 1/2 times more data than his colleagues. A technician found child porn in the PC folder that stores images viewed online.”  Of course, Fiola was fired and his life was turned upside down.  He and his wife had to liquidate all of their savings in order to pay the $250,000 legal bill.

In the end, a simple inspection of the laptop showed that not only was the computer riddled with viruses, but it was also logging on to the child porn sites at an impossible rate (40 per minute).  It took 11 months but the charges were finally dropped.

Can you imagine how damaging something like this could be?  The article said that one night when the couple were out to dinner, someone logged on to the laptop and downloaded pornography for an hour and a half.  It’s such a betrayal of trust. 

That’s why it’s so important to make sure that your anti-virus software is up-to-date. To avoid situations like these, all organizations should use a tool like Computrace to help IT staff determine which devices do not have antivirus or anti-spyware software or are missing the latest security patches.  For your average home user, antivirus and anti-spyware sofware from McAfee or Symantec can help you avoid falling victim of these programs.