Pinterest is a very popular social media channel that receives huge traffic daily. It’s particularly favored by bloggers & small independent creators as a vehicle to share their products, ideas & articles. Users “Pin” their content on Pinterest, & if others think it’s worth something, they “Re-pin” the Pin, which assists creators with marketing & often sales conversion.
However, what if someone were to hijack a Pin & change the link so that the Content is no longer directed to the original creator but redirected instead to the hacker’s own Website, so that they could steal the “value” of said traffic? The 1st question is – “why would someone do that?” followed by “how do hackers achieve the hack?” & finally, “what should a victim do to prevent it?”
Why would someone “steal a Pin?”
As with most things shady, there are several benefits for the hacker:
- If the Pin has gone viral, & naturally these are the only Pins hackers “steal”, then the hacker’s Website gets a massive increase in traffic which not only places their Site higher in search engine results, but they can peddle products to unsuspecting visitors who wouldn’t otherwise buy from their Site.
- They gain in advertising revenue from various sources such as Google advertising, Amazon’s affiliate program & many other sources too numerous to mention.
- It’s a perfect vehicle to distribute malware & steal credentials because they’ve already gained the trust the unsuspecting user gives to the “viral brand”.
- The hacker can gain valuable insights, which can contribute to forming marketing strategies, which they can then sell to buyers wanting to improve their traffic & search engine ranking, using the “look how well I’ve done” slogan.
How do hackers “steal” a Pin?
- The first most obvious way is to Re-Pin a Pin & edit in your own URL, which is an option that Pinterest offers (although, if this option were removed, there would be a lot less hacking going on).
- Copy the image to their own Website & Pin it from there, but leading to their own Content. Pinterest’s Bot recognizes the image as one which has gone viral, so they automatically show the picture to anyone who has Pinned similar (or the same item), even the image owner.
What can a Pin owner do if a Pin is hijacked?
- Add a watermark to your images. This is an express copyright, otherwise it can be called into question.
- Report the abuse via email to Pinterest.
- Use the Pinterest reporting system to report the hacker. However, beware, the system asks reporters 2 questions. If you choose “Remove All”, your own Pins might also disappear, which is not what an owner wants.
- Report the account, if the account is reported often enough, the owner might be barred. However, beware! Pintest’s Bot might disable all or any accounts that have Re-Pinned the item, including the owners.
In conclusion
Protect your Content with a log to prove ownership, especially for images. Use a software program that allows you to name yourself as an author where the metadata is specifically mentioned & embedded in the image.
Email Pinterest & set out your case in a calm & organized manner.
Image by Kevin Phillips from Pixabay
