Warning About “Five.co.in” (a Spam and Malware Site)

“Dark Web in Action” (AI Painting)

Upon checking traffic stats for Why I Write, I have noticed an alarming uptick in traffic from “Five-co.in” (among other suspicious sites), a known spam and malware site.

If you arrive at Why I Write and are ever automatically redirected (also known as auto redirect or link hijacking) to “five.co.in,” be aware that my site is NOT doing the redirection. Whatever you do, do NOT allow “five.co.in” – or any other link – to automatically redirect you; instead, hit the back button or shut the tab down completely.

In fact, my site will NEVER automatically send you to another site, so this applies to any other dodgy links, many of those urls ending in “.co.in.”

While I have posted some links to my other sites, the user always has the option to click or not click; you will NOT be automatically sent to another site.

I’m sorry that the web has become such a cesspool of dark web actors.

Meanwhile, this AI-generated article explains in some detail how this redirection scheme works and how to counteract it:

 

“Five.co.in” is heavily flagged as a malicious redirect and backlink network infrastructure associated with web attacks, malware delivery, and black-hat SEO spam. [two removed links]

Security reports and network logs show that the domain primarily functions to mask or reroute web traffic, often leading users toward scam sites, fake security alerts, or intrusive adware. [two removed links]

Core Warnings List

·         Malicious Traffic Redirection: The site operates a system of redirection links (e.g., “five.co.in/redirect.php?ref_host=...”) designed to hijack user traffic or dynamically route visitors through a maze of spam URLs. [one removed link]

·         Association with Brute-Force & Web Attacks: Security indicators from network defense platforms like AbuseIPDB [removed link] tie traffic routed through “five.co.in” to malicious IPs actively executing “Web App Attacks” and “Brute-Force” attempts against other servers. [one removed link]

·         PBN / Spam Backlink Farm: The domain hosts a massive “five-domain backlink network” indexing tens of thousands of scraped domain pages. This framework is used to illegally manipulate search engine rankings for sketchy or compromised websites. [one removed link]

·         Fake Security Pop-ups & Adware: Traffic passing through these redirects frequently leads to browser notifications and rogue pop-ups displaying fake “Virus Detected” warnings meant to panic users into downloading malware. [two removed links]

 

Action Steps to Stay Safe

If you encounter or have been redirected by a link containing “five.co.in”:

1.      Do Not Click Anything: If a redirect drops you onto a page claiming your computer is infected or demanding you click to update a driver, immediately close the browser tab or window. [one removed link]

2.      Clear Site Permissions: If you are receiving persistent notifications or pop-ups, go to your browser’s security settings and revoke notification and extension permissions from any unfamiliar “.co.in” or redirect domains. [learn.Microsoft.com] [one removed link]

3.      Run a Malware Scan: Use a trusted antivirus program to scan your device for any background adware or potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) that may have been triggered by accidental clicks. [one removed link]

 

I have removed the links because at least one of them redirects to “Five.co.in,” and I’m not sure about the other ones; I’m not interested in leading anyone further astray.

If you wish to view link information, just Google "five.co.in" warnings list or follow this Google link.

By the way, the “.in” domain space is the country code for India.  This does not necessarily mean that the bad actor is from India or is operating out of India – anyone can freely register “.in “and “co.in” domains (among other .in domains registered the .in subdomain/domain space). Wikipedia lists available subdomains for the “.in” space.

.in = domain url only (for example, like .com)

.co.in = subdomain (co) and domain (in)

What this means: the “.in” registry does not seem to keep up with shutting down known bad actors in their own domain space, perhaps calling into question the reputation of “.in” websites.