Pinterest Hacked and Invaded by Butts

No. Your Pinterest friends didn’t all just suddenly decide they’re really into butts. The site was hacked, and the result appears to be a bunch of spam about weight loss and butts. Or maybe your friends just like butts now. Go ahead and ask them. Thanks to groundbreaking legal case Becky v. Mix-a-Lot, they cannot lie about it.

It’s not yet clear exactly what was exploited to give butt-spammers access to accounts, but a scam alert released by The Better Business Bureau says possibilities include third-party apps and the use of implanted code in “Pin This” buttons found on websites (Editor’s note: Hehehehe. “Pin This” Butt. It never gets old. -Victoria)

The BBB also offers these helpful tips on keeping your Pinterest account butt-free (unless you’re into butts.)

How to Keep Your Pinterest Account Secure:

• Report the pin: Spot a spam pin? Report it to Pinterest by clicking the flag icon at the bottom of the image.

• Change your password. If you suspect someone hacked your account or you used a malicious app, be sure to reset your password. Do this by clicking your name at the top of Pinterest. Then, click Settings. Follow the prompts to create a new, complex, password.

• Log out of your account: Don’t stay logged into Pinterest when you aren’t using it.

• Watch where you log in. Only log in on Pinterest.com and the official mobile app. Avoid look alike sites that use a domain name like www.pinterest.something.com. These are not affiliated with Pinterest.

• Be careful about linking your account to other social media. If scammers get in, they can easily share spam pins on your Twitter and Facebook feeds too.
• Check before you pin.  Before you repin, take a second to hover on the image and check that destination link corresponds with the info on the pin. Scammers have been replacing the links in popular pins with links to websites housing malware.

That all sounds like pretty basic don’t-get-scammed-online advice, so feel free to apply it elsewhere.

(via TechCrunch, image via TheGirlsNY)

Meanwhile in related links

• This Pinterest pairs Hitler quotes with Taylor Swift photos
• The Parks & Rec wedding album is still our favorite Pinterest board
• This robotic butt could someday save your real butt

Have a tip we should know? tips@themarysue.com

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Glen Tickle

Glen is a comedian, writer, husband, and father. He won his third-grade science fair and is a former preschool science teacher, which is a real job.

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