If you read articles from online news publications while at work (or at home), be more cautious as you navigate around those sites.Why?
The New York Times' website has recently been the victim of a viral attack. Some readers have experienced a pop-up window (though I hesitate to call it that since it really looks more like the My Computer window in Windows) that states their computer is at risk and offers a protection program. However, it turns out this so-called anti-virus program is actually a virus itself and may take control of your browser. Apparently the virus poses less of a risk to Mac users, since it's easily recognizable as a Windows box, rather than one from OS X.
Yesterday, the Times issued a letter to readers regarding the issue - though to be on the safe side, it might be best to avoid the NYT site for a little while and learn about the situation from these articles (to prevent accidental clicking, letter to readers is the only NYT link in this entry):
Rogue ad hits New York Times site by Steven Musil(CNET)
New York Times Web Site Hit With Malicious 'Advertisement' by Caleb Johnson (Switched)
Malware Appears On New York Times Hompage by Peter Kafka (All Things Digital)
Ads Used to Spread Malware on Reputable Sites by Terrence O'Brien (Switched)
A screen shot of the window is included in Kafka and Johnson's articles.
Image: laptop [credit: Gregory Szarkiewicz] from freedigitalphotos.net
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