Phishing scams have raised serious concerns as cyber attackers use it to steal information by diverting users to malicious websites.
These scams use attractive advertisements as a bait that is too good to believe, while users are tricked into clicking on such advertising links and are directed to malicious websites.
With curiosity creeping in, most of us click on the malicious link or attachment, only to realize that the email containing the link/attachment is a scam.
The result of this, is to deliver information to the malware author and thus data loss, or it could be used to find software security vulnerabilities in the computer, for the software authors to install viruses without our consent. In this article we will tell you 3 ways to detect malicious websites.
Verify URL and SSL Certificate
One of the first things you should do when visiting a website is to verify the URL and the presence of an SSL certificate. Secure sites generally begin with "https://" instead of "http://". The additional "s" indicates that the site uses a secure, encrypted connection.Steps to verify the URL and SSL certificate:
- Look for the padlock in the address bar: A closed padlock indicates that the site has a valid SSL certificate. Click on the padlock to view certificate details.
- Check the URL: Make sure the URL is correctly spelled and contains no typos or suspicious characters. Cybercriminals often create URLs similar to those of legitimate sites to trick users.
- Rely on known URLs: If the site is one that you usually visit, verify that the URL is the same as the one you have used before.
Analyze Site Content and Design
The content and design of a website can provide important clues about its legitimacy. Malicious websites often have grammatical errors, misspellings, and sloppy or outdated design.Indicators of malicious sites in content and design:
- Grammatical and spelling errors: Check the site's text for common errors. Legitimate sites usually have well-written and proofread content.
- Unprofessional design: Malicious sites are often poorly designed, with low-quality images and a cluttered structure.
- Excessive pop-ups and advertisements: Sites that display too many pop-ups or intrusive ads can be dangerous. These ads may try to trick you into downloading malware or sharing personal information.
Use Online Security Tools
There are a number of online tools and services that can help you identify malicious websites. These tools analyze the security of the site and provide information about possible threats.Recommended safety tools:
- Google Safe Browsing: is a service provided by Google to identify and warn about dangerous websites. It protects users from threats such as malware, phishing and other types of cyber attacks by displaying warnings in browsers before users access unsafe sites.
- VirusTotal: This service scans URLs and files for malware using multiple antivirus engines.
- MyWOT (Web of Trust): This browser extension provides safety ratings based on user experiences. You can install WOT in your browser to receive alerts about potentially dangerous sites.
