As individuals and businesses increasingly rely on the internet for communication, banking, shopping, entertainment, and more, cybercriminals are using the internet’s vast reach to attack them. A common attack involves malicious URLs — also known as malware links or virus links — that can compromise your computer and potentially cause serious damage to your organization.

In this article, we’ll explore how to detect dangerous URLs and how to protect yourself against them. We’ll start with a look at the basics of malware links, and then dive into tips that will help you avoid clicking them in the first place.

Detect Dangerous URLs: Techniques to Stay Secure Online

Malicious URLs are the links used by cybercriminals to promote scams, launch attacks, and infect your device or system with ransomware, viruses, trojans, spyware, and other types of malware. These URLs are often found in spam, phishing, and spear-phishing emails, as well as in malicious advertisements, called malvertising, that appear on websites.

Detecting malicious URLs is difficult as attackers use sophisticated techniques to disguise harmful links in otherwise legitimate-looking content. These can include URL shortening services that obscure the true destination of a link, as well as the inclusion of legitimate domain names in order to lure unwary users.

The first thing you can do is hover over the URL before clicking it. This will display a preview of the entire link and show you if it appears to be safe. You can also check a URL by entering it into a free link checker tool.