Kid's Digital Cameras Come Complete With Virus

A CBS affiliate is reporting on one Minnesota family that received more than they bargained for when their child got a Fisher-Price Kid Tough digital camera for Christmas. The first time they connected it to their PC to download the pictures, their anti-virus software detected two viruses on the camera's memory.

A popular digital camera for children is causing problems for at least one Minnesota family this Christmas. Some of Fisher-Price's Kid-Tough digital cameras have viruses that are affecting not just the camera, but computers as well.

Anna Tapper couldn't wait to tear open and try out her favorite present.

"I take pictures of lots of things," Anna said.

Her father, Jeff Tapper, said she had a big smile on her face the minute she knew what it was.

"She was glad to have her own camera and she didn't have to ask mom and dad for theirs and she could take as many pictures as she wanted," Tapper said.

When Tapper went to download her work, he found her camera had two viruses. Luckily, his anti-virus software spotted them before he downloaded them onto his computer. Without an up-to-date virus-fighter, his laptop could've been infected.

"Especially since it's a kid's digital camera it's the last thing you'd expect to have a virus on it," Tapper said.

The Kid-Tough model was a popular pick for parents. A quick online search found many are having the same problem. Fisher-Price told them if they'd send the cameras to the company it would send them a new one in about a month.

A quick look at Amazon reviews and messages posted to Yahoo! Answers reveals more people verifying this is taking place with this camera model.
This is not the first time viruses have come pre-loaded on consumer products. Repeatedly last year reports of viruses coming pre-loaded on several models of digital picture frames made the news. External hard drives and desktop PCs have also been pre-infected with viruses.