Someone sent you a link. It looks okay… but is it really? Whether that person was a friend or a stranger, if it’s a link you weren’t expecting, you shouldn’t really click it.
Email, SMS, Facebook, Twitter or some other social network or collaboration tool… whatever you’re using, there’s an opportunity for scammers and spammers to send you links. Most of the time they’re probably safe. But when they’re not, disaster can strike.
One of the quickest-growing security issues these days is ransomware, which is often spread by people unwittingly clicking dangerous links. Malware and phishing sites are also major risks.
While you should be vigilant about all of your online activities, it doesn’t hurt to have a little help.
It doesn’t matter whether the link you received is a standard-length URL or shortened. If it is dangerous in any way, the link checking tool should alert you to this. If the links are going to take you to a compromised website, the link checker highlight this immediately. Similarly, direct links to malware, ransomware and other risks should be reported by these tools.
Several sites are available to help you uncover the truth about those dodgy links. The following four sites are all favorites, but we’d advise checking more than one at any given time, to help you get the best results from your inquiries.
1. AVG Threatlabs
2. Kaspersky VirusDesk
3. ScanURL
5. Google Transparency Report
Email, SMS, Facebook, Twitter or some other social network or collaboration tool… whatever you’re using, there’s an opportunity for scammers and spammers to send you links. Most of the time they’re probably safe. But when they’re not, disaster can strike.
One of the quickest-growing security issues these days is ransomware, which is often spread by people unwittingly clicking dangerous links. Malware and phishing sites are also major risks.
While you should be vigilant about all of your online activities, it doesn’t hurt to have a little help.
It doesn’t matter whether the link you received is a standard-length URL or shortened. If it is dangerous in any way, the link checking tool should alert you to this. If the links are going to take you to a compromised website, the link checker highlight this immediately. Similarly, direct links to malware, ransomware and other risks should be reported by these tools.
Several sites are available to help you uncover the truth about those dodgy links. The following four sites are all favorites, but we’d advise checking more than one at any given time, to help you get the best results from your inquiries.
1. AVG Threatlabs
2. Kaspersky VirusDesk
3. ScanURL
5. Google Transparency Report
H/T: MUO.
