Douglas Among Suspicious Laptop Recipients Posted by AVCU on 1:13 PM

Vermont Governor Jim Douglas and counterparts in West Virginia and Wyoming were among 10 or governors receiving suspicious laptop computers from an anonymous source. The situation is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Some state officials are worried that they may contain malicious software. Of the HP laptops mysteriously ordered for officials in 10 states, four of the orders were delivered and the remaining six were intercepted. The five laptops received in West Virginia were delivered several weeks ago, prompting state officials to contact police, informing them they had not been ordered. Vermont received similar unsolicited orders. The West Virginia computers are being held as evidence by state police, who are working with the FBI to figure out how the machines were sent to the governor's office. Meanwhile, laptops sent to the Wyoming governor's office arrived in two separate shipments. There’s no evidence the computers contain malicious code, but HP confirmed there have been several such orders and that they have been linked to fraud.

Since computer users have become more suspicious of software or opening attachments, perpetrators are coming up with new ideas to get past a company’s security. Reports are that criminals put malware on USB devices left outside an office in hopes of someone picking them up and plugging them in. From a financial standpoint, criminals may be glad to incur the cost of five PCs if it gets them access to a government network.