Malware in Flash ads
The problem of malware infected ads in normally respectable sites is growing. Windows Secrets reports on this serious problem:
A Flash-based advertisement that appeared last week on the USA Today site downloaded malicious code to users’ computers, generating erroneous warnings of a malware infestation and offering a phony solution.
The Flash vulnerability is so widespread that such “malvertisements” may be present on thousands of sites, but there are measures you can take to reduce your exposure.
To defend yourself, it is imperative that you update your Flash plug-in as mentioned previously. This is not sufficient to block all possible problems, however, and an alternative is to turn off Flash completely. I browse with Firefox and the NoScript extension. I also have the IE7Pro add-on for Internet Explorer. Both of these plug-ins allow you to turn Flash on or off selectively. If you visit sites such as YouTube, be aware that the videos are in a Flash format and can be infected as well. The Windows Secrets article describes one way to view YouTube offerings with more security.
The sad fact is that there is no fool-proof defense against Flash problems at this time except to disable Flash. Since even trusted sites can be infected, I am currently avoiding Flash.
Addendum: Note that certain financial institutions and others use Flash cookies as a way to identify your computer. Disabling Flash entirely may cause logins to these sites to require entering additional information each time.
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