Security News > 2021 > January > Laptops given to British schools came preloaded with remote-access worm
A shipment of laptops supplied to British schools by the Department for Education to help kids learn under lockdown came preloaded with malware, The Register can reveal.
The affected laptops, distributed to schools under the UK government's Get Help With Technology scheme, which started last year, came bundled with Gamarue - an old remote-access worm from the 2010s.
We've also seen online forums where Bradford school employees discuss the council contacting them on Wednesday to warn them of the problem, saying in an email: "Upon unboxing and preparing them it was discovered that a number of the laptops are infected with a self-propagating network worm ... that looks like it contacts Russian servers when active."
A Geo spokesperson told The Register: "We have been working closely with the Department of Education regarding a reported issue on a very small number of devices. We are providing our full support during their investigation. We take all matters of security extremely seriously. Any schools that have concerns should contact the Department of Education."
"A Department for Education spokesperson told us:"We have been investigating an issue with malware that was found on a small number of the laptops provided to schools as part of our Get Help With Technology programme.
"We take online safety and security extremely seriously and we will continue to monitor for any further reports of malware. Any schools that may have concerns should contact the Department for Education."