This is an interesting finding from Finjan. This could demonstrate how interrelated security and privacy really are. Especially, since browser vulnerabilities can lead to a host of juicy information about a user.

However, I suspect there is more to this than an advertiser's need to make the world an ugly place. Without the privacy twist, this isn't really a surprise. Ad servers are prime malware targets because of their penetration across the web. Infecting one server allows someone to punt their malware to hundreds of thousands of sites.

The implication of this is that ad server's are getting hacked left right and centre. If this is true, then blocking advertising moves from being a convenience to a security feature.