At least 10 major websites have been struck with a ransomware attack, in which malicious players infected advertisements on these websites with malware that can encrypt the user's hard drive and demand payment to unlock it, reports The Guardian.
The "malvertising" campaign was reported by Internet security company Trend Micro, that said the campaign targets the United States, and tens of thousands of users may have been affected in one day. If a user clicked on a malicious advertisement, they were taken to a page that tried to infect their computer.
Internet security company Malwarebytes reports infected websites include The New York Times, BBC, AOL, NFL and Newsweek, among others.
Trend Micro indicates some of the "more popular portals" are no longer carrying the malware, but the campaign is still live.
Citing an analysis by Trustwave, BBC reports the cyberattackers were able to spread the infected advertisements to so many sites by gaining ownership of a web domain that used to provide legitimate advertisements.
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