A bogus link redirecting to an allegedly revived version of the now-defunct social networking site Friendster is making the rounds on social media. The link was flagged before for malicious activity.
“There is a possibility that the said website is being used for phishing,” the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said in a Nov. 28 statement.
DICT’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) pointed out that the site is suspicious because its IP address has a previous history of phishing, brute-force attacks, and hacking. There is also no “About Us” page to show the people behind the website, it added.
“Do not click suspicious links to avoid future potential threats. Do not register to this website because your data may be compromised,” the DICT-CERT advised.
PhilStar Online and tech blog site Unbox organizations reported about the alleged return of Friendster. This was after FB page Stunner claimed on Nov. 26 that people could sign up with the social network as one of many pioneer users.
Stunner’s post got over 6,100 reactions, 1,200 comments, and 9,500 shares. As of Nov. 29, 10 p.m. Stunner has deleted its post. 1:00 p.m., the FB page edited its post blurb to add the DICT’s warning about the bogus site.
The earliest post from seven FB pages and the two netizens who shared the bogus Friendster link was dated Nov. 23. The posts got 3,113 reactions, 383 comments, and 679 shares. Several netizens in the comments section remain unaware of the link’s phishing danger despite other users pointing it out.
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