Spotify is serving malware-infested ads to its users [Update]

It seems Spotify is in for trouble as numerous music lovers are reporting that its freemium streaming service is pushing malware-infested ads to its users.

According to a user report on the company’s forum, running Spotify Free on the desktop periodically causes your browser to open various malicious websites without your permission.

So if your browser has been acting erratically while streaming music, you’re not the only one – and now you know what the issue might be.

Angered users were quick to alert the Twitterverse about the issue.

PSA: uninstall Spotify free, their ads are plagued with malware right now. pic.twitter.com/DUOqDrnDUZ

— Volp (@VolpRS) October 5, 2016

Had a malware on my ubuntu desktop that kept opening random ads on my browser every minute. Luckily @Spotify client was easy to uninstall.

— Samu Nuutamo (@SamuNuutamo) October 5, 2016

@SpotifyCares Yesterday the Spotify Free software started launching malware on my Mac's Safari on its own. Many have the same experience atm

— Taru Kalvi (@tarukalvi) October 5, 2016

While the original report suggested the vulnerability occurred on a Windows 10 set-up, it seems the issue persists in other operating systems too – including Ubuntu and MacOS.

Spotify has since responded to the complaints, saying it is currently looking into the affair.

This isn’t the first time music giant has dealt with ad controversy. Back in 2011, the streaming service issued a public apology after displaying malicious ads to some of its users. The company was quick to resolve the complication though.

We’ve contacted Spotify for further comment and will update this post accordingly if we hear back.

Update 19:05 CEST: Spotify claims it has successfully identified and eliminated the source of the problem. Here’s the full statement:

A small number of users have experienced a problem with questionable website pop ups in their default browsers as a result of an isolated issue with an ad on our free tier. We have now identified the source of the problem and have shut it down. We will continue to monitor the situation.