FROM BEEPERS TO BYTES

A strange online recruitment effort has emerged, with a group utilizing Facebook to gather individuals with military or government backgrounds for a seemingly unusual role. The group, operating through its Facebook page, is actively seeking part-time military consultants to engage in various tasks, including writing weekly reports on military life and addressing hot military topics.

The job description, posted on the Facebook page, outlines requirements for applicants, specifying that they must have at least one year of experience working within the military or government departments, possess proficient writing skills, and hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

The group claims affiliation with www.militarymedia.com, presenting itself as a US-based military advertising agency targeting military audiences. Curiously, the email domain listed on the page is militarymedia.group.

In an effort to clarify the situation, I contacted Douglas Bradbury of militarymedia.com to inquire if the militarymedia.group was connected to their organization. Mr. Bradbury confirmed that militarymedia.group is NOT affiliated with militarymedia.com, further deepening the mystery surrounding the group's identity and motives.

Upon closer investigation, the website www.militarymedia.com does indeed exist and has been operational since 1974, lending credence to the group's claims of legitimacy. However, further scrutiny using WHOIS tools revealed intriguing details about the email domain.

WHOIS is a protocol used to query databases that store the registered users or assignees of an Internet resource, such as a domain name, an IP address block, or an autonomous system. It provides information about who owns a domain name and how to get in touch with them. In this case, WHOIS was employed to scrutinize the origin of the email domain militarymedia.group.

The investigation uncovered that the domain registrar for militarymedia.group and the name servers associated with the domain are located in China.
While the website associated with the group appears legitimate, the discrepancy between its claimed US base and the China origin of its email domain and name servers adds a layer of mystery.

Adding to the confusion, the group listed its address as being in the Philippines. When contacted directly through Facebook, the group asserted that it is a US-based company. However, the WHOIS search contradicts this claim, indicating an address in China.

What's alarming is that many have already applied through the Facebook page. Checking the comments section reveals that active military and retired military personnel have expressed their desire to apply for the job.

The WHOIS search additionally discovered that the registrant organization’s name and a subsequent Google search revealed that this entity had extended its reach to include the registration of another domain purportedly engaged in the recruitment of security researchers. A more thorough examination using WHOIS tools yielded parallel results, affirming its registration in China through the identical registrar employed by militarymedia.group.
This implies a potentially interconnected network involved in recruiting efforts with implications reaching beyond mere military consultancy.

The utilization of WHOIS tools highlights the importance of verifying the authenticity of online entities, particularly when sensitive information or affiliations with governmental and military sectors are involved. Such tools enable users to trace the origins of email domains and domains associated with websites, aiding in the identification of potential red flags or fraudulent activities.

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) through its cybersecurity bureau, under the leadership of Usec Jeffrey Dy, said that they have been monitoring said pages since December of 2023. The bureau's vigilance highlights the critical role of national cybersecurity efforts in safeguarding against deceptive online activities.
 

Additionally, it was discovered that the Facebook pages involved in this recruitment effort have already deactivated their accounts, perhaps in response to the growing scrutiny. This development further complicates the narrative, suggesting a swift reaction by those behind the pages to evade detection or consequence.

(Art Samaniego, Jr. is the head of Manila Bulletin IT Department and is the Senior Technology Officer.)