Just when we think that MySpace couldn’t sink any lower in our esteems unless a gigantic bottomless pit opened up beneath the corporate headquarters and the tentacles of Cthulhu him/her/itself coiled around it to drag it into the chthonic pit… MySpace starts infecting users with spyware.

To be fair, it isn’t the execrable emo service that’s responsible. Rather, it’s our good chums at 180solutions. They’ve launched two fronts on MySpace trying to infect users: the first is an ad that encourages users to install a free toolbar to help protect “kids from child predators.” Classy! The second is a simulacrum of an embedded video.

When clicked, both scams install 180solutions’ Zango software on the system, which places a .dat file on a user’s machine containing over 166,000 words that trigger pop-ups when displayed on screen.

Someone just nuke both 180solutions and MySpace from orbit already. It’s the only way to be sure.

Zango Accused of Deceiving MySpace users [Security Pro News]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.