Some of the UK Department for Education’s free laptops have been found to be infected with malware. The devices are given out for free by the government to support disadvantaged students unable to access remote education during the COVID-19 pandemic. The malware found on the infected laptops is Gamarue (aka Andromeda), a modular malware strain known to be commonly used by Russian and Eastern European cybercriminals. DfE has already delivered more than 800,000 laptops and tablets until January 2021 to schools, academy trusts (trusts), and local authorities (LAs) around the UK.
Source: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/uk-govt-gives-malware-infected-laptops-to-vulnerable-students/