We’ve always feared viruses and all kinds of malware systems; we’ve made a habit from downloading stuff only from web sites we trust and so on. But, watch out, viruses might come also pre-installed!

According to a recent study conducted by security researchers, it seems that some of today’s most popular gadgets might feature also unwanted bugs, that is viruses that steal passwords, introduce our computers into spamming botnets or open doors for hackers. From iPods to digital phone frames, each of our gadgets might bring unwanted guests inside our personal computers. Even Target and Best Buy, as well as other popular retailers, have sold high tech devices infected with different viruses.

According to the recent research, it seems that, in most cases, Chinese factories represent the source of these gadgets. But although most of infected viruses came from China, these problems are apparently caused rather by lax quality control, than organized sabotage by the Chinese factories’ workers or hackers. Chinese producers seem to have created a tradition from releasing on the market all kinds of problematic products, such as toxic toothpaste, toy trains coated in lead paint, poisonous pet food and so on. Why not launching also virus-infected gadgets, after all?

However, the lax quality control explanation might also be a cover for other facts, taking into account that the problems that an infected gadget might produce could be far more serious than one would first realize.