If you log onto Pinterest and see that one of your friends has suddenly developed a fixation with weight loss ads and butt pics like the ones below, don’t click on the pins.
Multiple accounts have been hacked over the last hour and flooded with spam, including our own co-editor’s account.
Dear @Pinterest my accounts been hacked with someone posting hundreds of butt pictures all over my boards-security??! pic.twitter.com/A3u6QOS97k
— hermioneway (@hermioneway) March 28, 2014
A representative from Pinterest told TechCrunch:
Our systems were alerted to some incidents of spam yesterday evening. These reports did not come in at a large scale. We began working on cleaning up and placing the accounts in safe mode immediately. The accounts have since been secured. As a precaution, Pinners should use unique and strong passwords, and can get more information in our Help Center.
As Pinterest’s popularity has grown, so have the number of scammers hacking into Pinterest accounts. The Better Business Bureau recently sent out a scam alert warning users to be careful when clicking on pins that don’t look like the usual content that their friends usually post.
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Hackers access accounts in a number of ways, including through third-party apps with security holes or inserting malicious code in “Pin This” widgets on other sites, says the BBB.
To keep your account safe and free from unwanted butt pics and other spam, report suspicious pins, be wary about third-party apps, and check destination links before you repin content.
