ProfileWatcher Spreads Zango via Myspace

"You won't believe your eyes" screams the advert in the screenshot - you know what, they're dead right.

After a week of notably dubious Zango affiliate installs, we come to the latest foray into Myspace for my Zango pals (courtesy of a hot tip from a burnt pickle), in the shape of a laughably crippled program whose only real purpose is to hawk Zango videos that (of course) push their Adware. This is done by using Myspace itself as fertile ground for pimping something called ProfileWatcher (via automated spam messages on Myspace profiles), that then dazzles you with ads galore for Zango.

Not only does this program fail to impress with its numerous (mostly non-working) "features", the spam messages blasted across Myspace profiles asking users to download the software really wind me up. I don't know about you, but last time I checked, this kind of behaviour was effectively worm-like.

Here's how it works - check out the very spamtacular-sounding message in the screenshot, or just read the extract below:

"Hey you! How have you been? OMG...I just found the GREATEST software...it alerts you if someone you like on Myspace starts or stops dating or if people are commenting things about you or your friends on other profiles. You should definitely get it...I copied the link to download it:

[Url removed]"

Assuming you click the link, the download will begin. It's worth noting that there are a few other empty domains that redirect to this particular download - this particular domain uses a Jpeg of some vacuous text to entice a Myspace user into running the application (this would typically be left on the user's comments section). Empty domains performing redirects always set off a few alarm bells ringing, and there's more to come.

In its favour, this program does come with a EULA - sadly, it's a piece of comedy gold written with the express intention of making people interface their tea with their monitors. We'll look at the EULA a little more later, but for now check out the waft of "dodgy" from the screenshot:

"Recommendation Engine" - a really fancy way of saying, our tool will spam the living crap out of all and sundry without you being notified, or indeed regardless of whether the services we use to spam allow you to actually do this or not.

Awesome.

Once installed, the first thing you'll see is this popup telling you that you need to enter your Myspace login details. Now, I'm of the opinion that any kind of supposed application relating to Myspace asking for your login credentials should be given a very wide birth. However, if you're insane enough to proceed, you'll immediately see the first of a wide array of confusing and contradictory messages:

"Your login details may not be vaild. This error can occur if Myspace is too busy, which is quite often the case. Please check it just to be safe".

Uh, anyone feel a fast one being pulled on them yet? This is the kind of thing you often see when you run a fake application, and your feelings of impending doom aren't helped by the fact that the very next thing you see is this:

"Great! Now you may want to choose some profiles to watch!"

...wait, didn't I just get told my login details were incorrect? Wouldn't it be nice if this stupid application made its mind up?

Sadly, things get no better as you try in vain to get most of the "features" (and I use that term loosely) to work. In the screenshot, I was trying to simply add some profiles into this thing to "watch" them. As you can see, the automatic option to add your friends completely tanked, and no matter how many times you tried it, you were left with the same useless error message.

No problem, I hear you cry. We'll just try to manually add a profile, right? Surely there can't be any problems doing it the old fashioned way?

.....lol.

I tried in vain, only to be told that "This does not appear to be a valid Myspace profile".

Wow - sure looks like a valid Myspace profile to me (warning, music will play if you click that link).

At this point, I bet you're wondering what kind of awesome features this thing will actually give you, right? Well, they're pretty sucktacular. If someone on your friends list changes their "Relationship Status" (Married / Single / Swinger), you'll be notified by this wonderful piece of software. It's okay - don't faint. I'm stunned too. That's not all - it'll also inform you when one of your friends gets a comment added to their Myspace page.

WOW! God forbid you might just, you know, visit their page in the first place and see for yourself. Also - why would you care about wanting to see some random comment added to your friend's page by someone you don't even know? How is this something you'd want? Why would you need this?

Answers on a postcard, please.

Let's return to the original screenshot - I'm sure you can guess what's coming, but look at all those pretty pictures! Games, screensavers and, er, a movieclip of some guy being hit by a tram or something.

Click any of the images on the page and lo and behold, like some shiny beacon of Internet awesomeness, a new web-browser will open up aaaaand....


.....Zango!

Well, there's a shock. Blow me down and colour me amazed.

Once again, we have Zango piggybacking into the world of Myspace and considering they're all about "disclosure" and being all happy and good and stuff these days, the EULA of their partner manages to both suck and blow all at once.

Don't believe me?

Well, let's take a look at some choice extracts...

You agree not to use the Software to: Impersonate any person or entity or falsely state or otherwise misrepresent your affiliation with a person or entity; 2.4 Forge headers or otherwise manipulate identifiers in order to disguise the origin of any data transmitted to other users

...however, though YOU can't "impersonate others" or "disguise the origin of data transmitted to others", it's apparently perfectly acceptable for the program to do just that:

18 In exchange for downloading the Software at no cost, you understand, accept, and agree that the software may automatically send messages, bulletins, comments, and any other types of communications on your behalf and through your accounts to others through various online social networking sites without further notification to you.
19 You understand and agree that as a condition of installing the Software you posses the express desire and intent to encourage others to download the software, and that any communications sent by or through the Software and/or through your accounts to this end are being sent at your request to fulfill your intent and desire to encourage others to download the software.
20 You understand and agree that these communications may appear to have been written by you and may contain positive language about the Software, and any other language deemed appropriate by ZeroPoint.

...in other words, we can send what we like to who we like, whenever we like and you have absolutely no control over what we choose to send. What do you mean, it's "your" computer?

21 5. Things You Need To Do When Using the Software 5.1 It is your responsibility to ensure that you obtain all consents, authorizations and clearances in any data owned or controlled by third parties that you transmit, access or communicate to others using the Software.
22 You agree to indemnify and hold harmless ZeroPoint from any action arising as a result from your use of this software.

....in other words, MAKE SURE YOU ASKED TOM IF IT'S OKAY TO USE THIS THING ON MYSPACE, KIDS! And if Myspace decide to sue your ass for use of this thing on their network, you have to swear blind that ZeroPoint had nothing to do with it and get ready to play mummies and daddies in the local slammer. Thanks for that.

6. ZeroPoint's Right to Run Advertising without Payment to Users 6.1 While the current version of this software contains no adware of any kind, ZeroPoint reserves the right to include advertising technology in future updates, and to run advertisements and promotions on and through the Software. Advertising: Reference to online promotions.

...roughly translated, if we feel like "updating" you with something like LOP in the near future, we will do. Again - note the complete lack of information with regards how this would take place. Would they notify you? Or would it be a silent install?

25 6.2 By accepting the terms of this license, you agree that we have the right to run such advertisements and promotions without compensation to you. Advertising: Reference to online promotions.
26 6.3 The timing, frequency, placement and extent of advertising by us within the Software is subject to change and shall be determined by us at our sole discretion.

.....wow, how vague. One advert an hour? Two? Six hundred? Who knows! Will they be popups? Built into the GUI? No idea!

7. Links to Third-Party Sites and Channels 7.1 ZeroPoint may provide links on/in the Software or through icons placed on your computer's desktop upon installing the Software ("Icons") to third-party websites, and/or may frame various third-party websites (or frame within such sites) through the Software.
30 Third- party websites, including channels, which ZeroPoint, or Icons may link to or frame and may have co- branding and other relationships with ZeroPoint that offer e-commerce and other services and features to users, but are not under the control of ZeroPoint.
31 ZeroPoint does not have any responsibility or liability for any information, data, communications, products or materials available on such third-party sites.
32 These linked and framed sites are only for your convenience and you therefore access them at your own risk.

...considering the icons placed on your desktop will probably take the form of Hentai Tentacle toons and God knows what else, I'd have to agree with them about "accessing them at your own risk". And wait - "frames within sites"? Do they mean IFRAMEs? If they do, that's about as dubious as you can possibly get. The only things to appear on a computer via an IFRAME generally require some priests and a bucket of holy water to remove.

Once more, disclosure is utterly laughable here - and what use is all the newfangled "Zango affiliate cleanup" stuff when someone they're partering with is a throwback to the good old days of anything goes?

Ultimately, Zango are riding a wave of spamtastic installs of this program across Myspace to have their Adware installed on end-user's machines, via a partner's EULA that's so full of holes I'm surprised someone hasn't petitioned their local Council to have it filled in. Sure, you'll still get Zango's own EULA popped up assuming you try to play one of their videoclips but that's not the point - in fact, that's never the point. The issue here is that once again, Zango have partnered with someone providing software that has a dubious use at best and is more akin to a digital doorstop in the worstcase scenario. Yet this is somehow supposed to justify installing Zango's wares. Top it all off with yet more Myspace shenanigans and you have the makings of another affiliate shambles.The question is, how many more of these things are we going to find while simultaneously hearing about how these affiliates are all walking the line?