Warning: Italy tourism websites may be infected

Reuters news agency is reporting that thousands of Italian tourism Websites may be infected by software that allows computer hackers to gain financial information (such as credit card numbers) from computer users who visit the sites. The warning comes from a Japan-based computer security firm called Trend Micro, which has dubbed it the "Italian job."

If you're doing Web research in connection with an upcoming cruise to Italy, be particularly wary of small Italian-based sites that end in ".it", such as www.bestoftuscany.it or www.adriahotel.it.

You may be vulnerable if you use a version of Microsoft's Internet Explorer that is not up to date, according to Trend Micro.