It is a mystery that may never be solved. One could certainly intelligently ask: Why would anyone go to the trouble to hand deliver malware to unsuspecting, innocent Australian mailboxes? The answer, my friends, is that as the immortal shadow always says, “evil lurks in the minds of men.” In this case, it could be women too, but it is a puzzle as to why anyone would do such a thing if for nothing else, the effort it takes to hand deliver the USB drives. Even ifmalware through the regular postal route, it still represents a creepy and malicious personal touch.

Would you plug a USB drive that came in the mail into your computer?

We all know what the answer should be, but is “no” always the one chosen? That is the rub, as one very eloquent Elizabethan bard used to say. Depending on one’s mood when the mail arrives with its extra USB drive surprise and what activities are slated for day, some might opt for a little excitement, forgetting that old cartoon depicting a finger pointing to a console marked 'danger' with the caption underneath, “what’s that button for?"

The police believe the USB drives could be very harmful

For the rugged individualists who comprise the Australian state of Victoria, the question of what could be the worst thing that could happen isn’t really asked.

Or at least, that’s how it seems. The idea that one never knows unless one tries is fine for a life of daring and adventure, but does it really apply within the world of cyber space?

The police have admonished the residents of the Melbourne suburb of Pakenham not to insert the USB sticks into their computers if they do not know where they came from.

According to one police statement: “The USB drives are believed to be extremely harmful and members of the public are urged to avoid plugging them into their computers or other devices…Upon inserting the USB drives, victims have experienced fraudulent media streaming service offers, as well as other serious issues.”

Citizens everywhere should beware of this malware/mail scam

There’s no telling where else this idea might appear and believe it or not, a recent study conducted by the University of Illinois revealed some fascinating and rather startling results.

More than 200 USB sticks were dropped randomly across the campus and the study noted that the person who discovered them in almost 50% of the cases, plugged them into their own computers after just seven hours. The survey further concluded that while some users might be wary of any request to download something, damage can still be done to word files once the plug is inserted.

Cyber Crime is a growing reality and enormous problem. Remember always that if something, free or otherwise, appears too good to be true, it probably is.