After a security researcher said Monday that MySpace users were spreading adware through the social networking service to ring up ad fees from Zango, the Bellevue, Wash. marketing company admitted one of its own developers had set up the MySpace profiles.
Zango, however, said the developer was acting without approval and in ignorance of the company’s “hands-off” policy regarding MySpace.
Chris Boyd, the director of malware research for security vendor FaceTime, said he found a pair of MySpace profiles tagged “Zango,” the new name for the controversial adware maker 180solutions. And each profile pushed adware. One of the profiles used video to entice MySpace visitors to download Zango Assistant and Search Toolbar, which users had to accept if they wanted to view the clips.
“Just who is pimping these things?” Boyd asked, then pointed out Myspace Graphics Help, a site that included copy-and-paste code to add Zango-distributed videos; the code, says the Myspace Graphics site, can be added to MySpace profiles or comments. Anyone who clicks on a MySpace-placed video created by such code, of course, must download Zango’s adware to watch the clip.
The profiles were a mistake, countered a Zango spokesman Monday. According to Zango’s Steve Stratz, the two spotted by Boyd were created by a company developer based in its Montreal office. (In April 2005, Zango, formerly 180solutions, acquired Montreal-based CDT, at that time one of its largest adware-distributing partners.)
“Those two test accounts were actually created by one of our developers who was exploring possible opportunities, but he didn’t realize it was Zango business practice not to target MySpace,” said Stratz. “He should not have been doing this, and we want to tell MySpace that we didn’t mean to target them.” The developer, said Stratz, would soon be deleting the profiles.
Boyd took Zango to task nonetheless.
“This is a relatively new viral approach,” said Boyd. “We’ve seen spam and porn bots on MySpace before, but not adware from a quote-legitimate-unquote adware company,” he said.
Boyd’s contention was that unscrupulous Zango partners are getting MySpace users — many of whom are teenagers — to do their dirty work by spreading the necessary ad-tracking and ad-displaying software.
“Pasting the code for the [video] into the MySpace profile and having it autoplay when you visit the page is enough to have the [Zango] license prompt appear,” said Boyd. “Easy as pie.”
But although a Zango EULA (end-users license agreement) pops up on coded MySpace profiles, it’s too easy for users to assume the dialog’s from MySpace, not an adware vendor, argued Boyd. He found more than two dozen sites similar to Myspace Graphics and “I didn’t see one actually mention the fact that in return for these [video clips], you’d be pimping Zango.”
Zango, however, countered that its license agreement “could not be any clearer” and that it would be obvious to anyone that the download was not originating with MySpace.
Zango, which until early June was called 180solutions, has spent months cleaning up its distribution network — in the past it blamed “rogue” distributors for installing its software without users’ permission — and to be a better Internet citizen.
Then Zango’s vice president of business development, York Baur, said that “we’ve fixed [those] problems to the extent they can be fixed. This [business] model works, and we’re very proud of the model we’ve built.”
Stan Monlux, senior director of business development, weighed in Monday on the MySpace issue by denying that the network’s accounts were allowed to register as partners — and thus receive payments — and arguing that it wasn’t up to Zango to police the sharing of its content.
December 31st, 2006 at 9:08 pm
This is a one super duper site
January 1st, 2007 at 2:49 am
Nice website. Great online affiliate program. Thank you.
January 1st, 2007 at 5:59 pm
Great Website! It helps me a lot with my tough homework. I’m not so hot in that class :-) Thanks for the hard work, keep it up!
January 3rd, 2007 at 2:38 pm
nice site indeed
January 3rd, 2007 at 4:03 pm
mexico pharmacy mexico pharmacy
January 3rd, 2007 at 9:18 pm
Thank you, friends, for your sharing your ideas
January 3rd, 2007 at 9:20 pm
great site great site great site BRAVO!
January 4th, 2007 at 5:42 pm
Great work with this one, nicelly done!
January 6th, 2007 at 6:01 pm
I love this site, there is so much information to be found. Thank you.
January 8th, 2007 at 3:01 am
Hi, I really apreciated this website! Thanks
January 8th, 2007 at 11:15 pm
best site of its kind :-)
January 9th, 2007 at 4:44 pm
fioricet online fioricet online
January 10th, 2007 at 5:41 pm
Good-looking site. Congratulations.
January 11th, 2007 at 4:23 pm
Thank you for the great web site - a true resource, and one many people clearly enjoy
January 14th, 2007 at 11:29 am
order soma order soma
January 15th, 2007 at 3:25 am
zovirax zovirax
January 16th, 2007 at 12:53 am
paydayloan paydayloan
January 16th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
Best content I ever seen. Huge amounts of live feeds, high payouts. Realy cool.
January 18th, 2007 at 5:13 am
pharmacy technician pharmacy technician
January 20th, 2007 at 3:34 pm
I really like your site
January 21st, 2007 at 5:03 am
Your site looks great! Best of luck to you.
January 24th, 2007 at 5:15 am
Very good webpage you have here, and best greetings to all your visitors
January 24th, 2007 at 5:17 am
Nice site and fine content
January 24th, 2007 at 8:45 am
howdy I quite enjoyed this website .
January 25th, 2007 at 2:53 am
Nice website
January 25th, 2007 at 7:50 am
The stuff on this web site is really witty and cool wise
January 25th, 2007 at 2:01 pm
I have admire your unselfishness in taking the time to make this web site.
January 25th, 2007 at 7:40 pm
Please let me know if there are any equally great sites like this you can recommend to me. Thanks Again
January 26th, 2007 at 4:12 pm
Your site is a much needed addition to my life. THANK YOU!
January 27th, 2007 at 10:00 am
My god u kept me entertained.
January 27th, 2007 at 5:26 pm
Thank you, I just wanted to give a greeting and tell you I like your website very much.
January 28th, 2007 at 7:33 pm
- - - = = = H i ! _ G a y s _ T h a n k _ y o u _ f o r _ s u c h _ a n _ i n f o r m a t i v e _ w e b s i t e . . V e r i _ i n t e r e s t i n _ a n _ e a y _ t o _ c o m p r e h e n d - T h a n x ! - - = = A l l , N i c e _ s i t e , _ I _h a v e _ b e e n _ s e e i n g _ s o m e _ r e a l l y i n t e r e s t i n g _ c o m m e n t s . . . _ g o i n g _ t o _ t e l l _ m e _ f r i e n d _ l o u i s e _ a b o u t _ t h i s _ s i t e ! ! = = = - - -
January 29th, 2007 at 4:09 am
Hello, a really interesting experience to visit your website. For sure i will come back soon. greets to all !
January 29th, 2007 at 9:05 pm
Your site is a refreshing change from the majority of sites I have visited. When I first started visiting web sites I was excited by the potential of the internet as a resource and was very disappointed initially. You have restored my enthusiasm and I thank you for your efforts to share your insights and help the world become a better place.
January 30th, 2007 at 3:21 pm
best site of its kind :-)
January 31st, 2007 at 1:10 am
%-) genuinely interested by this website
January 31st, 2007 at 6:00 am
Hallo thank you for a lovely web site I enjoyed
January 31st, 2007 at 6:02 am
check this out!
January 31st, 2007 at 6:03 am
Thank you, I just wanted to give a greeting and tell you I enjoyed reading your material.
January 31st, 2007 at 6:32 pm
Please let me know if there are any equally great sites like this you can recommend to me. Thanks Again
February 3rd, 2007 at 4:02 am
Ich finde Ihre Homepage sehr gut und fundiert. Die Informationen helfen mir bei einer Diplomarbeit für den Bereich der Medizinischen Dokumentation vielen Dank und weiter so.
February 6th, 2007 at 5:54 pm
Some one tell me that your website is very good !I do think so!
February 7th, 2007 at 5:38 am
YES,VERY GOOD WEBSITE!
February 7th, 2007 at 3:42 pm
I happened upon this site while following the links from another site. Your site is wonderful and i bookmarked it. Thank your for the hard work you must have put in to create this wonderful facility. Keep up the excellent work
February 7th, 2007 at 7:03 pm
Thank you, friends, for your sharing your ideas
February 12th, 2007 at 8:27 am
I have been a guest of this home page! ZiPiTiDuYa… ZiPiDiHey…
February 13th, 2007 at 4:21 am
This is such a wonderful and informative way to reach others. I Will be more than glad to share this site
February 13th, 2007 at 7:25 pm
I like your website; I will share this with friends
February 14th, 2007 at 11:10 am
I really, truly am glad I found this site. It has answered so many questions for me. I will be back. Thank You
February 14th, 2007 at 3:04 pm
propecia generic propecia generic
February 15th, 2007 at 3:35 pm
Schöne Seite