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Chinese report loopy Facebook redirections

Users unclear if packet racket is accident or attack

China appears to have neutered swathes of otherwise uncensored websites and redirected Facebook login attempts to external websites, according to local reports.

The gaffe, the cause of which some say is likely accidental, affects local users who do not access Facebook through virtual private networks.

Users report being bounced to seemingly benign sites wpkg.org or ptraveler.com when accessing the popular Facebook Login tool, or Google Analytics.

Reddit users suggest the bouncing will stop if advertising blockers are used to can the Java applet 'connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js'.

F-Secure malware bod Mikko Hypponen told Reuters the redirection is odd.

"It doesn't make sense, so it might be accidental," Hypponen says.

Wpkg operators say they do not know why they are receiving so much free traffic.

Other users speculate the redirection is part of an attack on internet providers redirecting users to various sites including porn pages.

"It is basically spoofing the google analytics DNS to load a malicious script which randomly redirects the user to this porn site" one Redditor sleuth suggested.

That user suggests the attack involves an invisible button that loads on certain websites which notifies attackers of the device a victim is using before redirecting them to a malicious site.

Consensus on just what's behind the bizarre internet activity appears to be a way off. ®

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