For students affected by computer and device viruses, avoiding these issues just got trickier. Recently, consumers have discovered that some new electronic devices are infecting their computers on first use.

The Associated Press reviewed cases of some of the most often-consumed electronics' infecting people's computers with various viruses including those that steal passwords and disable anti-virus systems. These devices include Apple iPods and digital picture frames sold at Target and Best Buy.

The infected products have been traced back to Chinese factories, and at this point in time, the source of the virus seems to be the testing facilities in which a product is tested. According to the article, in these facilities products are tested on infected computers and then become infected as a result.

However, according to the article, this could be used as a point of attack for hackers.

When computer viruses first came about, they did minimal damage and were merely a minor annoyance, said Robin Anderson, Information and Technology Services spokeswoman. She added that now, people have found a way to exploit these weaknesses.

"I would imagine," she said, "that every new generation of technology that connects one point to another, the bad guys are going to find a new way that they can steal [information]."

Pam Frantz (freshman-business) contracted a computer virus while at Penn State. "Every time I tried to open Internet Explorer, it would say that you have a virus, click on this to get rid of it," Frantz explained. "I wasn't sure if I should do that cause you shouldn't trust a virus, so I took it to ResCom instead."

Rescom took the whole virus off Frantz's computer and uploaded new software and spyware to protect it in the future, Frantz said.

It is also a possibility that the testing of iPods and picture frames is not the point at which the device is becoming infected. According to the article, if the infection occurs earlier in the manufacturing process, the problem could be much more widespread.

As a result of this mass production, it would be nearly impossible to reduce distribution of infected materials.

Keeping spyware and anti-virus software up to date is the best way to protect computers against viruses. Online updates keep anti-virus software consistent with new developments in technology.

Another Penn State student, Mike Rooney (freshman-physics), discovered late last semester that he didn't have any virus protection at all. Rooney said that after his friend downloaded free software and was able to find out what was wrong, he was left with a functional computer.

He said that before the problem was fixed, the virus had already begun to wreak havoc on his computer.

"I couldn't look at anything on my computer," Rooney said.

Anderson suggests that people keep close watch on their devices in order to stop viruses before they become larger.

"I think everyone has to stay up to date on how they can protect their electronic devices," Anderson said.

Penn State students and faculty can utilize the learning package available to them at its.psu.edu/takecontrol to learn more about how to protect computers from viruses, Anderson said.