Why are these link checkers so important?
Researchers have found the next generation web-attacks, even harder to detect than ever. Cybercriminals log which IP-addresses visited the infectious websites, and show the malware code only once. If one tries to load that code again, a random clean page appears. In this way the attackers try to prevent detection, this technique is being described as “a gigantic technical leap where malicious code is concerned” qua technical complexity.
“They also aware of the addresses of AV-vendor crawlers, and filter-firms or search engines and specific bots or user agents to minimize the chance of detection,” according to Finjan CTO Yuval Ben-Itzhak.
So advice to you all, scan your links and have NoScript installed by default, and “enabled” of course!
but I want to address here some other aspect of the story and I won’t go off-topic. Regarding pre-scanning; I know already that you all here put safety at first place, but isn’t it tedious to scan every link you suspect it’s source to be suspicious? I mean, what happened to surfing, shouldn’t we enjoy surfing instead trying to devote 90 % of our time to protection, that doesn’t make any sense to me. The whole point of having a computer is to enjoy working with it, beside the fact how useful they can be.
Now, I don’t want to offend meaning of this forum. I too have installed System Safety Monitor, app that is very intrusive with it’s questions on whether to allow or disallow some unknown processes. Many people would find more hustle with it that they can handle. However, I find it much easier to have local protection app that monitors kernel level traffic which will stop any action on my computer that it doesn’t recognize, than having to scan all links manually. Hey but that’s me.
I’m just trying to put together usefulness & pleasure. Any comments?
Well there must be some balance between essential security and the fun of surfing the world wide web.
So generally speaking when you have NoScript installed by default and uncheck it temporarily for those sites from where you need script functions (and the site is flagged as green by for instance finjan, siteadvisor or just by searching through www.scandoo.com to mention some) you have covered your tracks and go as secure as you can go. The particular checking of unique links through online link checkers or through a click on DrWeb’s hyperlink checker is for these occasions when you may meet something fishy ( finjan could not scan, siteadvisor gives a yellow or red, you know at the back of your head the link could have malware code or additional adware or spyware) or you want to download something, I always scan the download link first. A little inconvenience for enhanced security does not harm, having to reinstall a compromised operational system is a mournful business, rather keep the patient alive.
