• Most Popular
  • Most Shared
A martial arts enthusiast pulls a vehicle with a rope connected to his eye sockets during a performance in Hefei, Anhui province November 30, 2009. REUTERS/China Daily

Strange and unusual

Our photographers often capture moments that are strange and offbeat. Here's a recent sampling.  Slideshow 

    Free computer virus finds willing victims

    HELSINKI
    Thu May 24, 2007 8:57pm EDT

    Related Video

    A woman types on a keyboard in a file photo. Computer specialist Didier Stevens put up a simple text advertisement on the Internet offering downloads of a computer virus for people who did not have any. Surprisingly, he found as many as 409 people clicking on the ad saying ''Is your PC virus-free? Get it infected here!'' during a 6-month advertising campaign on Google's Adword, said the IT security expert. REUTERS/Catherine Benson

    HELSINKI (Reuters) - Computer specialist Didier Stevens put up a simple text advertisement on the Internet offering downloads of a computer virus for people who did not have any.

    Oddly Enough

    Surprisingly, he found as many as 409 people clicking on the ad saying "Is your PC virus-free? Get it infected here!" during a 6-month advertising campaign on Google's Adword, said the IT security expert.

    "Some of them must have clicked on it by mistake. Some must have been curious or stupid," said Mikko Hypponen, head of research at data security firm F-Secure.

    There was no virus involved, it was an experiment aiming to show these kind of advertising systems can be used for malicious intent, Stevens told Reuters.



    More from Reuters

    Photo

    Producer prices surge, factory activity slows

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. producer prices rose faster than expected in November, while a gauge of manufacturing in the New York state unexpectedly fell this month, creating a potential headache for the Federal Reserve. | Video

    The Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft is surrounded by employees and special guests during its world premiere outside the Boeing assembly plant in Everett, Washington, in this July 8, 2007 file photo. REUTERS/Robert Sorbo/Files

    Dreamliner set for test flight

    Boeing's fuel-efficient 787 will take off on its first test flight, nearly two and a half years behind schedule. But the hurdles aren't over.  Full Article 

    Demonstrator holds a signboard with a slogan "Bla bla bla ACT NOW" during a rally outside the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, December 12, 2009. Credit: REUTERS/Christian Charisius

    Rewarding polluters

    A climate change scientist blasts proposals for a cap and trade system, arguing that it allows dirty industries to continue polluting, instead of rewarding innovation.  Full Article