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Deanie Wimmer ReportingAn Internet trap outraged many families over the weekend who were using, of all sites, KSL.com.
Annie Beutler said, "All of a sudden one of the banner ads popped up on the last page, full-on naked girl with nothing on, it was blinking and said, ‘click here.'"
It's not what you'd expect on KSL.com, and neither would we.
KSL.com prides itself on being a family-friendly site. However, many users were surprised to find pornographic images showing up as ads on KSL.com. These ads were not being delivered by KSL. The ads appeared because the users' computers were infected by malware.
Glenn Swan, a KSL computer developer, said, "It's not coming from us, I'll tell you that."
Grant Sperry, with X-Mission, explained, "Malware is short for malicious software, so it's a broad term that's applied to any software with malicious intent."
Rather than just being destructive like a virus, malware designers seek a profit by trying to trick you into clicking on someone else's ad. They can target any site and work into computer systems that are unprotected.
Swan says, "If you're going to any respectable site and you see pornography, a red flag should instantly come up."
Beutler says, "It's a little frustrating, you think you have all the stuff you're supposed to and you're at KSL, which is normally known for having really good standards."
To Stay Safe, make sure you have anti-virus and anti-spyware software installed and update it biweekly. Consider using a different browser than Internet Explorer, which is the most common target; our computer expert suggested Firefox.
If you experienced the problem, there's free software you can download on our Web site.
