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It all started with a single post on Reddit’s “Tales from Tech Support” page. A user claimed that a virus which infiltrated a corporation’s network came from a Chinese electronic cigarette USB charger which possessed a hard-coded malware designed to infect any computer it was plugged into.

The story is quite likely to be true — and it wouldn’t be the first time a USB device from a cut-rate foreign supplier carried a nasty computer virus with it. But the interesting story here is just how nuts media went over the story — which it retold again and again with nothing to go on beyond an essentially unchecked anonymous user submitted claim.

One particularly inspired bit of coverage claimed the news was based on a new study and then went on to say that the claim was reported by the Guardian and based on a user post on Reddit. From there, major news outlets all over covered the single incident without a single new bit of information or even enough investigation to make sure the report was true.

We’re not saying that the story is bunk. Again, it’s likely true. But this is a story with, quite literally, international recognition based only on a single anonymous account on Reddit.

Coverage can be found at any of the following: The Guardian, Aninews, The Business Standard, Sputnik News, Zee News, The Himalayan Times, The Malaysian Digest, South China Morning Post, International Business Times, Neowin.Net, Yahoo News, Newswire, Headline & Global News, Entrepreneur, The Wall Street Journal, NBC San Diego, and IT PRO.

Certainly this bit of news hits a perfect sweet spot between things people are worried about — electronic cigarettes and computer viruses. Both are media shorthand for the boogie man among technologically illiterate adults. E-cigs are still being treated by many outlets as new way for the smoking habit to get into the hands of children while computer viruses are like STDs for your computer that steal your information and make you use their search engines.

It’s really no wonder this bit of “news” has gotten so much attention.