Anoop Verma
If you click on an infected link, you might not be able to safeguard your data even with the best anti-virus. The problem is that for most computer users it is difficult to find out if any website is infected without clicking on it. The anti-virus and the malware remove tools will not prevent you from clicking any of the potentially harmful but interesting looking website.
Here are some ways by which you can check out any link without first having to click on it:
Hover strategy
At times, the link masks the real URL of the website. But when you hover the mouse over it, the URL will become visible in the lower corner of your browser. If the URL is different from what the line says, you should avoid clicking on it.
McAfee’s SiteAdvisor
One of the world’s most trusted makers of anti-virus products has come up with this free SiteAdvisor service. Point your browser to http://www.siteadvisor.com/; in the centre of the home page, you will find a Free Download button. Once the SiteAdvisor software is installed, your browser will look a little different than before. The SiteAdvisor adds small site rating icons to your search results as well as a browser button and optional search box. Together, these alert you to potentially risky sites and help you find safer alternatives. Along with reporting on the security related aspects, the SiteAdvisor also reports the website’s online affiliations and has numerous community member reviews/ratings.
Norton SafeWeb
The SafeWeb website (http://safeweb.norton.com/) from the popular security products maker, Norton, is a good way of checking a website for threats. Many of us dislike the idea of downloading and installing new software, even if they are from reputed companies. The Norton SafeWeb has a large text box in the centre of the home page. Just type the URL of the website that you would like to visit. The actual Norton review starts with the green (site is safe), orange (caution is advised), red (unsafe site) or grey (untested) icon, followed by the threat report, which includes the results of 17 different malware tests. The service also provides user reviews.
URLVoid
This is a free service located at: http://www.urlvoid.com/. It allows users to scan a website address with multiple website reputation engines and domain blacklists to facilitate the detection of possible dangerous websites, used to distribute malware and spyware or related to fraudulent activities. Till date the web-based service is reputed to have analysed 1,195,627 unique websites.
PhishTank
Phishing attacks, which are fraudulent attempts to steal a user’s financial information, have become quite common these days. The website called PhishTank (http://www.phishtank.com/index.php) can help you decipher whether a site is phish. If you sign up to be a registered user, you can also submit a phishing site and also verify other users’ reported phishing sites.
