This isn’t the first time hacking has happened on the social media megasite but it is the first time it’s hit so close to my own boards. I started noticing an influx of pyramid schemes being posted in the past few weeks and although I found the marketing distasteful I didn’t realize the full extent of was happening until today when I saw the pin pop up in two unlikely places. One was from my sisters account who hasn’t used Pinterest in months. That was when the light bulb finally went off and I realized it wasn’t just sneaky spam but hacking.
This post was from one of the earlier hacks in March but do you notice the note he added to the top? Click on the picture to read the entire post.
Signs you’ve been hacked
- Boards are appearing you didn’t make
- Even after you delete links (whether it is to a fake money making scheme or not) they reappear
- *New* Your Pinterest is spamming your Twitter & Facebook. 1
What you can do
- Delete the pin & board
- Change your password
- Contact Pinterest
- Here is their Account Security section
- If you see it in your stream you can report it as spam 2
- Check your boards often since some are saying they keep reappearing
- BeCAREful when repinning
- Check the original source to find out what really is being pinned
Here’s an example of one woman’s Pinterest and how quickly it spreads!
I haven’t seen anything on Pinterest’s blog but I’ll post an update if they do. Otherwise Happy Pinning!
- Read more about September Spam/Phishing attacks here. ↩
- The funny thing is I tried to pin something from Pinterest’s support on how to report spam- which is very easy just look to the right of the pin and click report pin but I couldn’t pin the page!
↩
[...] Blogger C McKane has a blog post with some tips on what to do if you account has been hacked. [...]
Wow! Thanks for sharing – I’m so new to social media I would not have known what to look for.
Stopping by from SITS – see you around!
Tina recently posted..The Eye of the Beholder
Hi Tina! It seems like they’ve taken care of this particular hack but I still changed my password to be safe (well safer).
Thanks for stopping by.
Chit recently posted..Writing Detours: Fear as an Obstacle
This is so interesting, thanks for sharing!! I hadn’t heard of this until I saw the pin just now.
It makes me think of some of the followers I’ve gotten over the last several months. They all have a cute girl in the pic, lots of boards (like more than normal people) with maybe one pin in each board. I’ve often wondered what the use of a fake Pinterest account would serve, but maybe it’s related to this??
Thanks again!!!
laura @ urbanmayberry recently posted..Point & Shoot as DSLR
Hi Laura! I wouldn’t be surprised if they were bots. I wonder if that started happening once pinterest opened to the public. Thanks for the heads up I’m off to check my followers now!
Chit recently posted..Calm My Crazy: Much Ado About Nothing
[...] the Full Post: Signs Your Pinterest is Hacked! Filed Under: Blog Tips [...]
My pinterest account was hacked a few weeks ago. Someone created a board about making money from home. The typical spam topic thousands of people get. This has also happened on facebook but luckily it’s only happened to me twice and not nearly as often as some of my friends.
Oh no B! I know a lot of people are having a rough time. Getting the boards and pins over and over. If you keep noticing it even after changing your password submit a ticket to Pinterest (link above)and hopefully they’ll be able to stop it!
Chit recently posted..Writing Links for September
Good grief. I hadn’t even considered pinterest as a spam or hack possibility. Sigh.
Jean L recently posted..Reality Foundation with Anti-Oxidants, Not So Great?
I know I think people were pretty surprised (I was) and I forgot like any other online site it’s vulnerable to those pesky spam bots and hackers!
Chit recently posted..Two Greensboro Parks: Bog Garden and Bicentennial Garden
Thanks for sharing!
Sandy recently posted..Hand Print Apples in a Basket
Thanks for stopping by and love the Apples in a Basket!
Chit recently posted..Calm My Crazy: Much Ado About Nothing
Wow, thanks I didn’t know about this.
Sarah Carletti recently posted..My Family of Three
Thanks for stopping by Sarah! It seems to happen in cycles so I guess now it a good time to change my password again
Chit recently posted..Travel Naps
Yep, I was hacked about two weeks ago…the first thing I noticed was a new board, with a random pin on it. I’m on there constantly, so I knew it wasn’t me, but I thought it was a glitch, so I just deleted it. When it happened again, either later or the next day, I realized it was a hack, so I changed my info, then deleted the spam. So far, so good.
Kristin recently posted..5 Tips for Mud Runs
That is great that you caught it Kristin! I’m on there all the time too so every time I hear of another hack I double check all my stuff
Chit recently posted..750 Words. Online tool to keep you writing
This is so not cool! Please keep us updated.
@PamelaMKramer – A Renaissance Woman recently posted..Freebie Friday Giveaway Linky – Hosting Your Post!
I know! This last “attack” seems to be more like phishing (like the AOL mail days) but changing passwords is never a bad thing.
Chit recently posted..Hanging Rock State Park
Wow, Had never thought about my pintrest getting hacked. Great post!! Now off to check my pintrest account
I know! I double checked mine too!
Chit recently posted..Writing Links for September
Laura – I had the same thing happen to me. I kept getting new followers with all these dozens of different boards and just one or two pins per board. I thought they were just newbies who didn’t understand how it worked, but now I think it was some kind of a spam plan. I used to follow just about anyone who followed me, but lately, I’ve only been following Facebook friends or people I recognize. Weird!
Adrian recently posted..Book Review: The Calligrapher’s Daughter
Thanks for the information. I guess I’ll have to be on the lookout.
So crazy! And I really LIKE pinterest. Granted, I haven’t used it in a while because it’s such a huge time-suck for me (seriously, once I start, I CAN’T STOP!) but this is really helpful info to keep in mind.
Following you via SITS!
Yes unfortunately this did happen to me last week. Notice some garbage that posted to my facebook page via my pinterest page. I went to my Pinterest page and saw a whole new folder with some crap. Deleted it immediately. Now I just have to pin about 4 things so it doesn’t show up on my facebook page.
Wow, that’s crazy…some people just need to get a life. Thanks for sharing….happy SITS>
Regina recently posted..Blastoff Friday #4
I woke up this morning to an email notification that people had liked a pin, and when I looked at it, it was something I most definitely had not pinned. It was a spammy “msnbc tells you how to work from home, and make a ton of money” pin, and it had been put on two new boards created specifically for that pin.
I remembered having seen the link to your post on SITS this week, and clicked over to see what you wrote. Thanks for this! I deleted the pins/board, and changed my password. Hopefully this will be the end of it.
Tracie recently posted..Fire Rainbows
I was hacked for the second time…the first was what was described above. This week I was made to follow dozens of fake accounts with millions of followers (so someone is selling followers and hacking our accounts to follow those fake accounts)…very frustrating.
Penelope recently posted..Raising Water Drinkers #BritaBottles
Ah so maybe that is what was going on with my pinterest. I was hacked!? All I know is that all of a sudden I was following like 80 I didn’t even know. Really people you have nothing better to do than hack Pinterest??? That is just sad!
My website, pin4ever.com, offers a solution that protects your pin data from hackers, accidents, and computer glitches. A Pin4Ever backup saves a copy of all your pins, boards, and likes to your own computer. Go to our website right now, and you can get a free backup!
Great post thank you so much!!
Michele Nardi recently posted..FREE Piece of Godiva Chocolate Each Month
This has started to happen me since yesterday
I’ve changed my email and password on the account, hope that gets rid of it.
Deana recently posted..What a weekend!
Deana did you get hit again last month? Because I noticed another wave of hacking! Hopefully not though!
C McKane recently posted..Blizzard 2013. Nemo’s still here.