Spotify has ‘pirated software, cheat codes and adult entertainment’ problem – Times of India

Security researchers have uncovered a concerning trend on Spotify: Playlists and podcasts promoting malware and pirated software. According to a report in 404 Media, people are using Spotify playlist and podcast descriptions to distribute spam, malware, pirated software and cheat codes for video games.
One example, highlighted by security researcher Karol Paciorek, involved a playlist titled “Sony Vegas Pro13 Crack Free Download 2024 mysoftwarefree.com.” This playlist blatantly advertised a website (mysoftwarefree.com) known to host malicious software.

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While Spotify reportedly removed the specific playlist in question, Paciorek warns that the problem is widespread. He claimed that users can easily find links to “Vbucks generators” (used to cheat in Fortnite) and “license key cracks” (used to activate pirated software) hidden within playlists and podcast descriptions. “The playlist title in question has been removed,” a spokesperson for Spotify told 404 Media in a statement. “Spotify’s Platform Rules prohibit posting, sharing, or providing instructions on implementing malware or related malicious practices that seek to harm or gain unauthorized access to computers, networks, systems, or other technologies.”
The report claims that these listings often exploit Spotify’s search engine optimization. Even if Spotify blocks certain keywords within the platform, searching for those keywords on Google still surfaces the malicious links hosted on Spotify.
Spammers further manipulate the system by using irrelevant audio content and misleading titles related to popular topics, like TikTok or adult entertainment, to increase search visibility. One example is a podcast named “forlinks” with numerous short episodes that only contain descriptions linking to Turkish gambling sites. Podcast episode titles for such spam accounts often contain popular keywords about TikTok personalities or porn, boosting their search engine reach.