Good riddance – Zango shuts down

Not many people will be shedding a tear this week at the news that notorious adware distributor Zango has shut its doors.

According to media reports, Zango (who were previously known as 180Solutions) was unable to remain in business because it was unable to pay its debts.

The reason why Zango proved so unpopular with security researchers and computer users around the world was that affiliates frequently silently installed the adware-displaying software onto unsuspecting users’ computers by exploiting vulnerabilities.

This practice ultimately lead the Federal Trade Commission to fine the company $3 million, and despite laying off staff it never truly recovered.

So let’s all raise a glass to the demise…

Read more in my article on the Naked Security website.

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Graham Cluley •   @gcluley

Graham Cluley is a veteran of the cybersecurity industry, having worked for a number of security companies since the early 1990s when he wrote the first ever version of Dr Solomon's Anti-Virus Toolkit for Windows. Now an independent analyst, he regularly makes media appearances and is an international public speaker on the topic of cybersecurity, hackers, and online privacy. Follow him on Twitter, Mastodon, Bluesky, or drop him an email.