A new malvertising (malware masquerading as advertising) campaign is targeting popular adult websites in Canada and the UK. Unsuspecting visitors to these trusted sites are clicking on the webpages to view content. Unfortunately instead of being rewarded with juicy pics, they receive a pop-up advertisement loaded with malware.  Normally the user’s anti-virus will detect the malware and block it from doing any damage. However, some of these nasty things are brand new and unknown to many types  of anti-virus software so they are not detected and infect the user’s computer.

Adult websites receive millions of visitors every month and therefore are favorite targets of hackers. However, any site can be hijacked by a cyber criminal and used to deliver malvertising.  How do you protect yourself from being a victim?

• Keep your anti-virus software up to date.
• Set your browser to block pop-ups.

Unfortunately, your browser cannot determine which pop-ups are malicious and which ones are delivering legitimate content. How do you know if you are missing out on content because a pop-up is being blocked? Your browser lets you know.

After you have set your browser to block pop-ups, when you visit a website that contains them your browser notifies you.  At that point you can choose to allow pop-ups for that specific site or continue to block them. Do not allow pop-ups unless you are sure the content being delivered is not malicious.  Happy surfing!!