Big-name sites hit by rash of malicious ads spreading crypto ransomware

> The campaign underscores the vital role that smart browsing plays in staying secure online. One of the most important things users can do is to decrease what researchers refer to as their "attack surface." That means uninstalling things like Adobe Flash, Oracle Java, Microsoft Silverlight, and other third-party browser extensions unless absolutely necessary...

Funny how Ars doesn't mention the fact that using a good ad blocker would also be immensely helpful. In fact, it almost sounds like they're saying NOT to run an ad blocker, since it is a third party extension.

At the end of the day, if the companies relying on advertising don't even know who they're getting their ads from, why should I let them risk MY IDENTITY for their profit?

I get that I'm visiting their site and they're producing the content that I was there for (in some cases), but if I have to worry about every single link I may follow then I'm going to take steps to protect myself. When I encounter a company that is acting ethically (like StackOverflow, off the top of my head) I make sure they get added to the whitelist.

I can't rely on disabling JS if I also want to enjoy using the 'net, so I do the best thing that I have available, kill the third party ad network requests.