Spotify drops ads after malware attack

Spotify has temporarily removed ads from its free version after users reported the music streaming firm’s software was being flagged by their antivirus software.

Reports from users on forums and Twitter show Avast, AVG, Microsoft Security Essentials and BitDefender have thrown up flags.

“We’ve turned off all third-party display ads that could have caused it until we find the exact one,” a spokesman for Spotify said.

Web monitoring firm NetCraft said the attack used a Java exploit to slip malicous code onto a user’s computer.

Spotify’s forums show similar complaints over the past year, although some may have been false positives.

The attack technique isn’t new, with websites as prominent the London Stock Exchange, TechCrunch and the New York Times being hit by so-called “malvertising”.