Buffer hacked; Twitter, Facebook flooded with Spam Weight-loss links

If you're a user of the Buffer app, the social-media management service that let you cross-posting to various social networks, be aware that the service got hacked yesterday, with spam messages going out over Facebook. 


"Buffer was hacked around 1 hour ago, and many of you may have experienced spam posts sent from you via Buffer. I can only understand how angry and disappointed you must be right now." Buffer team said, in an email sent to users and also posted to Buffer’s blog.

It’s not yet clear how many of Buffer’s 1 million or so users were affected by the hack, but buffer maintains that user passwords are safe nor has any "billing or payment information been affected or exposed".

It appears that Buffer's Facebook and Twitter spam messages were first sent at around 2:20 p.m. ET. Hackers have used the exploit to spam user accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and other sites.

Just recently, Instagram saw a viral wave of weight-loss-related spam spread quickly across its service, though it was not the result of a hack.

There’s not much detail from Buffer on the hack, though as of the time of publishing, it doesn’t seem as if the Buffer team itself knows just yet.

Buffer also today reported that the problem has been fixed and that security has been bolstered. The service is now operating as normal, but users will need to reconnect their Facebook and Twitter accounts.