Google’s thinks FaceBook’s Request page phishes

by Jimmy Liew on 3 December, 2008

Got this warning page when I surfed to Facebook’s Request page on my Safari. This is a warning from Google’s Safe Browsing API that helps to prevent phishing from links you clicked.

The Safe Browsing API is an experimental API that enables client applications to check URLs against Google’s constantly updated blacklists of suspected phishing and malware pages. Your client application can use the API to download an encrypted table for local, client-side lookups of URLs that you would like to check.

On closer inspection, the problem arises when the FaceBook request page, who’s URL is http://www.facebook.com/reqs.php#friend, contains numerous instances of this URL http://static.ak.fbcdn.net/ which seems to be where images, stylesheets and other files that are called up by the Request page. When you click Report an Error button, you’ll find the offending URL http://static.ak.fbcdn.net/common/redirectiframe.html that triggered the warning.

Anyone knows why Google deems that as suspicious?

To have Google’s Safe Browsing when you’re on Safari, go get the latest version of Saft – one of the must have Safari plugin – and you’ll be protected.

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