The Ministry of Digital Affairs’ Administration for Cyber Security has released a list of nine Web sites that maliciously pose as official Line pages, warning of possible hacking and data breaches when visiting and downloading software from the sites.
There were several cases where people downloaded the “Line” app from such sites and had their data stolen, it said.
The administration said the malicious Web sites posing as Line Web sites are: linekr.com, line-china.com, line-tw.com, line-zhcn.com, line-ios.com, linecl.com, linerm.com, lineoe.com, and line- tww.com.
Photo: Screen grab from the Line Web site
The scammers likely selected Line due to its popularity in Taiwan, it said, adding that the cyberattacks using the brand have shown signs of becoming increasingly organized.
Such attacks are not only frequent, but are becoming more refined, the administration said.
In most cases, people were directed to fake Line Web sites when attempting to download the desktop version of the app, it said.
Users were redirected to such malicious sites through paid advertisements and search engine “poisoning,” or when a person’s search engine gets manipulated to prioritize deceptive Web sites, the administration added.
Scammers used the word “Line” in the Web sites’ addresses to make it hard for people to quickly discern that the site is fake, the administration said.
They also used words such as “latest edition” or pretended to offer free stickers to trick people into downloading the malicious software, it added.
Once the fake Line app has been downloaded, the person’s screen could freeze, their camera could be activated remotely or their computer could be controlled by a hacker, the administration said.
Personal information, such as passwords, could also be stolen, the administration added.
To prevent data theft or getting hacked, the public should only download applications from official Web sites or their phone’s official “marketplace,” such as Apple’s App Store, it said.
Legitimate apps would not ask users to access links through e-mails or chat rooms, it said, adding that people could check their Line app for any unusual logins if they are worried they had accessed something suspicious.
It urged the public to report any fake sites to the ministry’s scam-Web sites reporting page or the National Police Agency’s 165 scam hotline.
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