Virus on Newspaper Sites May Have Infected Readers' Computers
Readers of the Seattle Times and Seattle Post Intelligencer Web sites may have unknowingly had their computers infected with a virus, the Times reported on Tuesday.
Gabriels, an online ad vendor that hosts advertising for NWAutos and placed ads in the two newspapers and other online destinations, had its servers infected with a virus between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Pacific Time last Friday. While the vendor claims its has purged the virus from its system, the newspapers are warning readers that they may have been exposed and need to take steps to be sure their computers aren't affected by the virus.
The risk wasn't limited to the Seattle newspapers, with readers of the New York Times and San Francisco Chronicle Web sites also being put at risk, since Gabriels serves up ads to those newspapers' sites as well. More than 50 Web sites have been affected by the virus since early July. The virus apparently does not harm users' computers but does mess up the "experience" of the affected Web sites.
Infected computers may display messages referring to virus scanners or provide fraudulent instructions. The Seattle Times advised readers to scan their computers with anti-virus software and clear out the cache in their Web browsers.
Most Web users are familiar with the advice that e-mail from strangers should never be opened and that e-mail attachments, even from people they know, should always be treated with caution. This type of virus risk is much more difficult for the average Web user to avoid, since the newspaper sites are considered trusted Web destinations. [Source: Seattle Times.]
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