Update at 12:10 p.m. PST: Comment from Zango has been added.
Good riddance: Facebook has banned the "Secret Crush" application due to reports of its affiliation with a notorious spyware manufacturer.
The social-networking site confirmed the breakup on Monday: "Facebook is committed to user safety and security and, to that end, its Terms of Service for developers explicitly state that applications should not use adware and spyware," a statement from the company read. "We have contacted the developers and have disabled the Secret Crush application for violating Facebook Platform Terms of Service."
Lonely Facebook users eager to find which of their friends had the hots for them were served up with the nasty news last week. According to a report from security firm Fortinet, invitations luring members with the message "One of your friends might have a crush on you!" contained a link to software from Zango, a company whose name has become almost synonymous with adware. Upon installing the application, users were informed that they needed to "invite" at least five more friends to Secret Crush before going on, and then were invited to download a "Crush Calculator" application that contained Zango software.
Tragically, duped Facebook members never did get to learn which people on their friends list had crushes on them.
Zango has publicly denied involvement with Secret Crush, publishing a blog post dismissing Fortinet's claims and saying that Secret Crush hadn't disappeared--it had just changed its name to "My Admirer."
"In the case of the Zango ad seen by Fortinet, if clicked it would have taken a consumer to Zango's standard plain-language notice and consent page where consumers could choose to install Zango software and access (without subscription) a Zango Astrology application--or choose not to install the software," the Zango blog post read. "Although we did not purchase this ad directly, it was placed by one of our advertising partners within the Facebook system, which appears to be a completely legitimate practice."
Spyware and adware claims are nothing new in the social-networking world; Facebook's chief rival, the News Corp.-owned MySpace.com, has had issues with adware masked as YouTube videos, for example. The recent news nevertheless raises the question of how quickly Facebook, or any other site that accepts third-party developer content, should be expected to take action in this kind of situation. AllFacebook reported that 1.5 million users had installed Secret Crush before it was taken down; this kind of situation will certainly add to the debate over how attentive a company built on user- and developer-generated content needs to be.
In its statement concerning the Secret Crush takedown, Facebook responded pre-emptively to potential criticism by stressing that members should be aware that they are dealing with third-party content on the Facebook Platform. "Users should employ the same precautions while downloading software from Facebook applications that they use when downloading software on their desktop," the company warned.
Browser wars? Check. Operating system battles? We got those, too. Web mail skirmishes? Search engine sorties? Nothing new there, except for a slightly drawn-out metaphor. We can also add to the list of hotly contested software the Internet Explorer toolbar. Having sort of fallen by the wayside in the past few years as Web-based widgets have replaced browser-based ones, the somewhat-ignored toolbar is seeing a resurgence, thanks to Google and Yahoo.
Google has just released Google Toolbar for IE version 5 beta of its feature-rich and ready-to-use toolbar for Internet Explorer, and Yahoo has also recently updated its powerful Yahoo Toolbar with Anti-Spyware that comes bundled with antispyware. How do they compare?
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Nearly every security vendor offers a free virus scan on its Web site, but it's not always clear what they are, how they work, or why you might want to use them in addition to or instead of downloadable security software.
What are online virus scans?
The most common online virus scans are hosted on security companies' Web sites and use ActiveX technology to scan your computer, flagging any files that show up in the company's spyware or virus definitions.
Exact methodologies vary from vendor to vendor, as does coverage. Panda ActiveScan claims it detects rootkits. Kaspersky updates its definitions hourly; others once a day. Some, such as F-Secure, require Internet Explorers, while others, such as Trend Micro, also support Firefox.
When should you use online virus scans?
Online scans are best used for sniffing out low-level threats that don't impede Internet access. They usefully offer a second opinion while conveniently skipping the installation steps of downloaded programs, and are usually compatible with security software already installed on your PC. If you're concerned about higher-level threats, be sure to read these techniques for removing a Trojan horse.
The disadvantages of online virus scans
Most scans are just malware detectors that won't remove pernicious software unless you purchase the product. That's not necessarily a drawback if you're open to new removal software; the online scans test-drive the product's efficacy. (BitDefender is an exception, offering gratis removal services in addition to a free scan.)
You'll also still want to allot a good chunk of time to the scans--deep examinations can take hours.
Popular scans
Some of the better-known online scans include:
-BitDefender (free removal)
-- IMSafer, the parental IM monitoring system we covered in October, got a big upgrade today with support for Mac OS X and Windows Vista. The app keeps an eye on your child's (or spouse's!) instant messages, and alerts you via e-mail if the analysis tool finds inappropriate content. Previously, there was no Mac support.
-- MySpace is planning to launch an app that lets curious parents or significant others track MySpace log-ins on the family computer. Code-named "Zephyr," the app will make note of username, age, and location, then save the data to your machine. If there are any changes to that information, the program will alert the admin, although there's no word yet how the program will deliver that alert. MySpace users also will be told they're being watched by the program, no doubt leading to awkward parental talks about privacy and trust. (News.com)
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