Facebook and Ping Victims of “Free iPhone” Spam

“ . . . drowning in scams and spams.” That’s not how you want your fresh new social networking service to be described. But regardless, that’s what Internet security firm Sophos has said about Apple’s Ping. As a case in point, Facebook was recently hit with a wave of spam that posted photos of iPhones and offered a link to follow and get a free device. This same scam has now crossed over to Ping, and from the sound of things, Apple doesn’t have many lines of defense in place.

Luckily, Facebook is ensuring any affected parties that the security of their accounts has not been compromised. So we would assume that whatever is hitting Ping is a similarly low-key threat. But still, why doesn’t Ping implement any spam or URL filtering?

iTunes 10 has been online for a little over a day, and already it’s being plagued by these issues . . . One easy solution would be to somehow educate the public on the overtly obvious fact that there’s no such thing as a free iPhone (or any other Apple device for that matter). But that wouldn’t solve the problem of artists like Katy Perry having their Ping pages littered with spam. We knew ahead of time that Ping was going up against big odds, the social networking scene being pretty well dominated by a few big players. Some increased security measures to keep Ping feeling clean and music-centered would be more than welcome. I’d say it’s pretty necessary if Ping stands a chance.

Sophos security expert Chester Wisniewski puts it bluntly: “If half as many free iPads, iPhones and iPods were being given away as Ping comments might lead you to believe, there will be no reason to bother with going to an Apple Store. But if you actually want an Apple device, my advice is to go out and buy one, as filling out surveys will likely only end in tears.”

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Devin Wieland

 

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