Though it may seem elementary to some, many people have no idea what a URL is even though they use them every single day. Not only that, many have no idea that clicking a seemingly innocuous shortened URL (read “link”) can do to their computer or phone. Very briefly, a URL stands for “Uniform Resource Locator” and basically is something which identifies a network resource on the Internet — a web address.
Sometimes a web address can be ridiculously long; so someone came up with the bright idea of shortening them to save space and be easier overall. Great idea, except that it’s bad for your security. You cannot tell by looking at one of these shortened URLs where you’ll end up! Maybe on a malicious site that intends to install malware on you machine! Twitter, Facebook and others are proliferating these mainly to save space in posts, but watch out!
Hackers and scammers love to hide malicious downloads and websites behind these generic URLs and say they’re something else. You won’t even know where you’re going until you click.
The solution? Go to http://www.knowurl.com/ and paste the shortened URL into the black bar, then click “Expand Me.” NOW you’ll be able to see where you’re really going before you click that link. This is a little time-consuming, so there are easier and faster ways of doing the same thing — install a browser add-on or extension, depending on your browser of choice.
Feel free to contact us for further advice and assistance!