Spotify forced to shut down rogue ad following user complaints about virus pop-ups
Spotify is the latest platform to fall foul to 'malvertising', after the ad-supported version of its app served a campaign that presented viewers with "questionable website pop-up" in their default browsers.
A rogue marketing push in Spotify directed users' to virus sites
The streaming service said it has now fixed the problem, which let rogue ads automatically open virus-infected sites.
Several users took to Twitter to complain about the issue, with one requesting direct support on Spotify's own website who called the situation "pretty alarming".
In response, Spotify said it had sorted out the issue, saying: "We've identified an issue where a small number of users were experiencing a problem with questionable website pop-ups in their default browsers as a result of an isolated issue with an ad on our Free tier."
"We have now identified the source of the problem and have shut it down. We will continue to monitor the situation. If you see this issue again, please let us know the exact date and time in this thread."
The news comes as cyber security experts warn 'malvertising' is on the rise because of the increasing number of brands using third-party networks to display their campaigns.
Both the BBC and Yahoo have recently fallen victim to similar attacks.