Following on from the story about dodgy Cisco hardware, it seems that some of our popular consumer electronic gadgets such as MP3 players and digital picture frames are infected with malware before they even leave the factory. A number of online news sources are running the same story as reported here. Queries about connecting up one personal device or another frequently escalate to my desk because the policy in place forbids non-company equipment on company networks. I believe that this is a sensible policy to have and the latest news backs this up. Introducing any consumer device onto your network, in the same way as introducing consumer software, is an unnecessary way of increasing your exposure to malware risks. You don't need to be doing it. Now here's another reason why. As I said the other day, malware remains the greatest threat.