new social attack vector

[dsrtao]

Let us suppose that our target, Tom, is a habitual user of an RSS aggregator. Early on Tom used the service as a fast browser selector, making filtering decisions but ultimately viewing the content by clicking the links. Soon, however, he starts reading some sources right in the aggregator. Eventually Tom relies on the aggregator for leads, filtering and the majority of reading.

Now Mallory gains control of the aggregator in such a fashion that she can insert, edit and delete stories. Tom has a high degree of unwarranted trust in his news source. I don't see any standard verification mechanisms in place for Tom to assure authenticity...

Google is perfectly positioned to be Mallory.