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Spotify: Serves arbitrary, third-party content through known malware vector. Users: Blocks known malware vector. Spotify and 'the usual' HN crowd: shocked_pik
by some_random 8y ago
Spotify: Serves arbitrary, third-party content through known malware vector.
Users: Blocks known malware vector.
Spotify and 'the usual' HN crowd: shocked_pikachu.jpg
- djohnston 8y agocan you elaborate? TCP is also a known malware vector.
- g45y45 8y agohttps://community.spotify.com/t5/Ongoing-Issues/Spotify-Free-ads-causes-browser-to-launch-on-malware-virus/idi-p/1461222 https://community.spotify.com/t5/Ongoing-Issues/Spotify-Free... Literally this service delivered malware in 2016. You are permitting spotify to distribute adverstising malware.
- djohnston 8y agointeresting, seems like it was patched quite quickly. what proportion of ad-blocking users are security-conscious engineers vs people who are simply trying to avoid ads?
- g45y45 8y agoDoes it matter? What is important is that users are not getting their PC's ransomwared. If a desire to not look at ads also results in less ransomwared PCs, Win Win!
- judge2020 8y agoAt least now, Spotify can only be downloaded in the Windows store (they discontinued use of the desktop application on Windows 10). As I understand it, W store apps are sandboxed, so something like this reasonably isn't possible anymore (at least without an escape exploit)?
- SamuelAdams 8y agoYou could run a network-level ad blocker, ie PiHole [1]. [1]: https://pi-hole.net/ https://pi-hole.net/
- Siemens 8y agoAnd then you would be banned for blocking ads.
- seatdrummer 8y agoIt may be a malware vector, but if it's tied to the service, you should not use the service and demand the ads be fixed before you will remove the ad blocker. In other words you use the service when you are satisfied with it's cost, instead of using the service and then negotiating the transaction posthoc.