Attack on Path spreads spam

Private social network Path said that an attack on its service has led to a "small number" of its 23 million users receiving spam messages.

The company, just days after announcing that it closed $25 million in new financing, alerted members to the attack on Twitter. "A small number of users have received spam messages as a part of this attack, but personal data has not been compromised," the company said.

Hello Path users! We have identified an attack on our service, and are working to resolve the issue. (1/3)

— Path (@path) January 15, 2014

When reached for comment, a Path spokesperson was unable to provide additional details about the attack.

Earlier in the week, Snapchat, a private social network of sorts, also apologized for an influx in spam, though the young company attributed the problem to rapid growth and advised members that they could avoid the spam by only accepting messages from friends.

Meanwhile, 3-year-old Path finds itself at an interesting juncture as it seeks to become more than an afterthought in a social media world dominated by apps that are accruing hundreds of millions of users at a breakneck pace. The attack, although potentially due to no fault of its own, is an embarrassing blight that will be tacked onto the company's previous blunders like storing members' personal information without permission and aggressively recruiting new users.

Path has raised roughly $65 million to date, and its latest round was reportedly completed at a valuation above $250 million. New lead investor Bakrie Global Group, however, brings some baggage along with its cash. The Indonesian firm's gas-drilling operation is believed to have started a massive mud volcano in 2006, though the company contends the disaster was caused by an earthquake.