Apple: Some Video iPods Shipped with Windows Virus

If you bought a Video iPod after Sept. 12, you may want to make sure your anti-virus software is up to date. No need to panic, but Apple announced that 1 percent of the video iPods it shipped since mid-September have a Windows RavMonE.exe virus, which is really more a worm than virus, and it spreads through mass storage devices.

The threat is it can lower a PC's security but not wreak havoc with the data on your computer. If you've got anti-virus software running, it should easily detect it and remove it. If you need to install software, Apple recommends four free trial downloads on this page where you'll find the company's announcement and directions on how to remove the virus:

After installing an anti-virus application, you should attach your Video iPod to your Windows computer and run the anti-virus program. If your Windows system is infected with this virus, an alert will be triggered and inform you that the virus has been detected and either quarantined or removed. You should then use iTunes 7 to easily restore the software on your newly purchased Video iPod.

Apple says it has seen only 25 reports of the virus. Curiously, the virus does not affect the Mac OSX, and Apple does not hesitate to point fingers at Microsoft: As you might imagine, we are upset at Windows for not being more hardy against such viruses, and even more upset with ourselves for not catching it.