Zango Refutes Passing Adware via Facebook Application

On January 8, 2008, Zango refuted claims that the adware company was sending malicious software via the Facebook social networking site.

Zango asserted that Fortinet published an incorrect blog post that a malicious Facebook application, earlier called "Secret Crush", and after that renamed as "My Admirer", attempts to load Zango software.

Kevin Osborne, Associate Corporate Counsel for Zango told CIO.com that Fortinet's claims were essentially untrue. CIO published this on January 10, 2008.

According to Osborne, he is sure that when researchers at Fortinet installed the "Secret crush" program, they were directed to a page that confirmed that the program was introduced to the profile of the user. At this juncture, Osborne maintains Fortinet viewed a genuine advertisement for Zango that Facebook automatically generated. Osborne asserts that Zango wouldn't have loaded any program without the computer user's consent.

Osborne further said that the developer of Secret Crush, an organization known as Mobile Computing, had no association with Zango.

Meanwhile, Zango said that the company is comfortable even if its software is called 'adware' provided the term relates to software loaded with the user's permission. spyware refers to software that doesn't have user's consent, said Zango's CEO, Keith Smith, in a statement. Networkworld published the statement on January 9, 2008.

Smith said that Fortinet's advisory on Facebook widget, loading spyware is blatantly false. A security report that is so untrue represents a reprehensible and irresponsible attitude. Smith said that Fortinet should act right by rectifying its advisory. Informationweek published Smith's statement on January 9, 2008.

In the first week of January 2008, security company Fortinet had detected the malicious program that quickly infected millions of users of Facebook whom 'Secret Crush' tricked into downloading Zango's adware with the promise to reveal to them the name of their secret admirer. Meanwhile, Fortinet sticks to its advisory.

It said that after further investigation, the company confirms that its research about the Secret Crush was correct as of its advisory posting. Infoworld published this on January 9, 2008.

Fortinet further stated that the behavior displayed on its screen shots clearly matches the results the FortiGuard Global Security Research Team obtained. Infoworld published this.

Related article: Zango Blamed for Misleading Claims About its Software

» SPAMfighter News - 1/23/2008