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The New York Times is wiping egg off its venerable face after being duped by hackers over the weekend. Readers of the online newspaper were assaulted by the classic pop-up ad advising them that their computers were infected and offering up bogus anti-virus software.

SC Magazine reported that the hackers originally ran legitimate ads for Vonage but at some point begun pumping out the malware. Vonage had previously advertised with the Times, so it allowed an unapproved outside vendor to deliver the ads. The newspaper has, unsurprisingly, decided not to allow unapproved vendors to deliver ads in the future.

The Times is not the first victim - The Daily Mail and Newsweek were hit previously by similar attacks, as hackers have sought to place their malware on legitimate sites with good reputations and large user bases.

The story certainly illustrates the importance of vetting all information placed on websites as well as those who provide the information. As always, the bad guys morph their tactics more rapidly than the good guys can keep pace.

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