Mark this one as another defeat for those who simply cannot resist the temptation of looking at a naked celebrity—this time it's ESPN's Erin Andrews. Virus writers and hacker groups wasted no time creating a virus and malware-contaminated Websites and luring sports fans with the promise of banned nude video of the sports network star reporter.

There's no denying that Andrews is an attractive woman. She's made a name for herself as a diligent, articulate and insightful reporter around the leagues, on the sidelines and in the business. Nevertheless, her looks have garnered a fair amount of unsolicited attention from people on and off the field. Most recently, someone slipped a video camera through a hotel room peephole and tapped Andrews as she undressed.

The unauthorized video appeared on several Websites for a short time until Andrews' and ESPN's attorneys were able to get the hosting companies to take down the footage. The hosting companies reportedly agreed once they discovered that the surreptitious nature of the video. The sudden sacristy of the video and the reports of its existence gave virus writers an opportunity to lure victims into the wicked lair. Men (and perhaps women, too) curious about what Andrews looked like out of uniform were infected with a virus.

Now, what I'm about to say should be common sense, but common sense isn't always practice, especially when it comes to celebrity nude photos or sex tapes. Every time some television personality, movie actor, sports star or pop icon of the moment gets caught with his or her pants down, the incident is quickly followed by a rash of spam and hostile Websites infected with malware or, just as worse, phishing for personal information in exchange for a peek.

And it doesn't take a “leaked” or stolen salacious celebrity photo to launch a wave of virus-laden e-mails. The Anna Kournikova virus of 2004 was based solely on her celebrity and the promise of nude photos that didn't really exist (those that did surface were fakes). Virus lures promising naughty peeks at everyone from Britney Spears to Cameron Diaz to Camryn Manheim (some people like that sort of thing) routinely make the rounds on the Internet.

As a culture, we are fixated on celebrity comings and goings. And it doesn't take nude video of a sports reporter to get us to click like fools on slide shows and would-be video clips. Anti-virus and streaming traffic inspection will help guard against compromised and malicious sites, but the truth is that restraint will go so much farther. Rarely is there a legitimate need to go hunting for hidden camera video of Erin Andrews or pictures of Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction. The best assumption is if there's something lewd or salacious about the e-mail or Website, you're likely guaranteeing your exposure to a sexually transmitted computer virus.