Ping under attack?
Apple's social network for music, Ping, has attracted over 1m users within 48 hours of its launch, according to the firm, but reports suggest the network was also flooded with spam.
According to Apple's VP of internet services, Eddy Cue, one third of people who have downloaded iTunes 10 have also joined Ping, which lets users follow artists and friends plus share views and download music.
Its success may prove critics wrong who dismissed Apple's new musical social offering as yet another social network in an already crowded market.
"As many more people download iTunes 10 in the coming weeks, we expect the Ping community to continue growing," said Cue.
However, Ping has been plagued by spammers thought be keeping a close eye on pop star participants, with common spam including a suspicious URL attached to the offer of free iPhones, according to The Guardian.
Apple fan site Mac Rumors believes spammers are able to easily join Ping as no credit card details are required for signing up for an iTunes account and gaining access to the new network. Worryingly, they may also be attracted by the 160m credit card wielding consumers already using iTunes.
Internet security giant Sophos, told The Guardian: "[Ping] implements no spam or URL filtering and is drowning in scams and spams".
Graham Clulely, a senior tech consultant at the firm, reportedly said: "We're used to survey scams like this being spread far and wide via sites like Facebook, but clearly the lack of filtering on Ping is making it a brand new playground for the bad guys to operate in."
"It's ironic that the most common scams on Ping right now revolve around Apple's own iPhone. It's safe to assume that Ping does incorporate some rudimentary filtering to prevent offensive messages from being posted, so hopefully Apple's security team can extend this to also block scam messages and malicious links."
Clulely warned Ping users to be wary of clicking on too-good-to-be-true links and to question what they read on the new network.
In another twist, Musician Ben Folds tweeted he was not aware a Ping account has been created in his name, perhaps indicating the service could also have a problem with verified accounts much like Twitter's early days.
Some commentators have suggested early adopters of Ping are not really engaging in the music review swapping Apple intended but are using the network as a kind of news wire to keep up to speed with their favourite bands.
Ping lets users follow their favourite artists, check out bands' photos and videos plus see their tour dates. However, Apple seems to really want users to post their thoughts and opinions plus list favourite songs and albums to share ideas and ultimately persuade people to download (and pay for) more iTunes content.
