When an internet user browses unknown websites, there is not always a way to know if the website is safe. In cases of receiving an email with a link from a source that is not very common or personal, all it takes is one click for your device to be contaminated or the data to be leaked .
In the worst case scenarios, when browsing a fake website, the lay user enters their bank or card details thinking they are safe.
It's no wonder that the fake link scam, the famous “click here” works so well. This scam is known as Phishing .
The question is: how do you know if the website is safe? Is it possible to identify?
The answer is yes! It is possible to identify! And that's what I'm going to demonstrate in the following 9 tips.
Tip #1 – Browser Security Tools
Most popular browsers have security features to help keep you safe when browsing. Such tools can block annoying pop-ups, disable unsafe content, prevent malicious downloads, and control which sites may contain information security risks.
Check the privacy and security settings in your favorite browser and enable those that are consistent with your daily use. Perhaps this action already identifies for you whether the link you are about to click is safe or not.
Tip #2 – Tool to identify insecure websites
There are tools that help you quickly find out if a website is safe. Google Safe Browsing is one of them.
According to the tool's page, “Google Safe Browsing scans billions of URLs, software, and content on these pages for unsafe sites,” making it an excellent form of security check. To check, simply copy the website address,+ paste it into the search box and press the Enter key. Simple and fast. Google Safe Browsing tests the URL and returns a report on its reputation.
Tip #3 – Check URLs
Another simple way to test the security of a website is to check the URL. If you don't know, URL is the address of a link. In short, find out where the link will take you before clicking on it. To do this, simply drag the mouse pointer over the link to check the URL it is linked to.
In most browsers you should see the URL linked to the link in the bottom left corner of your browser.
Viewing the URL, make sure everything is written correctly. Most harmful links contain spelling errors, such as “h00tma1l.com” instead of “hotmail.com”. At a quick and inattentive glance, the error easily goes unnoticed.
Tip #4 – Be careful with shortened URLs
Criminals find many ways to bypass ways to protect themselves. A very effective way is to use URL shorteners.
With the shortened link, it is not possible to identify the destination of the site. Therefore, be very careful with shortened URLs, check the content of the page or email that contains this link.
Tip #5 – Find HTTPS
HTTP ( Hypertext Transfer Protocol ) is the fundamental protocol for sending data between your web browser and the websites you visit. HTTPS is just its secure version, “secure” being the meaning of the “S”.
Checking whether the website you are visiting uses HTTPS is an effective way to ensure that a website is secure.
The protocol is often used for banking transactions and online purchases, as your communication is encrypted, in order to prevent criminals from stealing sensitive information such as credit card numbers and passwords.
But how do you find out if a website uses HTTPS? Simple! Check your browser's navigation bar for a lock. If it is there you will know that the website you are accessing is using a trusted certificate and your connection is secure.
However, there is bad news. Some phishing sites may use HTTPS to appear legitimate. The main takeaway is: If any website you visit doesn't have a padlock, don't enter your password or credit card number.
Tip #6 – Privacy Policy
In many countries it is a legal requirement for the website to have a privacy policy. So, if you can't clearly tell whether the site is legitimate, look for the privacy policy.
Sites with a good reputation will usually have a button or text in the footer to access the privacy policy.
Unfortunately, many of them are full of incomprehensible legal quotes, even so, it is a good idea to check if there is at least a privacy policy, as this is a good indication that the site is legitimate.
Tip #7 – Be wary of security seals
The purpose of showing security seals is to try to show that the site is trustworthy and that is why many companies use it. The thing is, it's not very difficult to get them there.
This is a very controversial topic, as some legitimate sites use seals from other companies, some do not, and some say that having their own seals increases sales.
In theory, it would be interesting to click on the security seal and see if it is possible to verify it. If you can't, start a search with “site x is real” or look for reviews about the site. If it is fake, you will definitely find a lot of complaints about it. If none of this works, it's best to avoid this particular site.
Tip #8 – Obvious signs of a fake website
Many people judge each other by their appearance, but they don't do that with websites. For the most part, the appearance of the site already indicates that it is fake. If you feel that something is strange, visually there are some very obvious signs, usually loaded with malware, that you can look for:
- Alerts that keep flashing – if the website has a lot of exclamation marks and alerts that keep flashing, there is a high chance that it is fake and full of spam.
- Too many pop-ups – if you access a website and it has a very large number of pop-ups, close the website immediately.
- Redirection – When accessing the website, if you are immediately redirected to a completely different website, it could mean that the original website was fake or that it was attacked by malware. So you won't want to visit it.
- Search alerts – Google, for example, displays next to some search result links an indication that the site may have been hacked such as “This site may have been hacked” or “This site may be dangerous for your computer”. Even if these warnings are not accurate, it is still a good idea to avoid them.
Tip #9 – Use a blocking tool
There are many solutions on the market for blocking websites and domains considered harmful. In a practical way, they prevent the website from being accessed and (usually) display a warning on the screen informing the user that the website may be dangerous.
Perhaps among all the solutions, this is the most efficient, as it does not require knowledge, study, or attention, leaving only the tool to identify for you whether the site is legitimate or not.
To finish
Magical and permanent formulas for knowing whether a website is safe do not exist. Criminals are constantly looking for new ways to deceive internet users. basic security tips
Hope this helps.
To the next!
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