TIP · 4 min read
Got a Suspicious Link? Check It in 2 Minutes
Most breaches still start with a click. You don't need a SOC to check a suspicious link — just a safe routine. This is the one from our phishing-awareness video series at Hacktr Technologies.
1. Don't click — copy
Right-click and copy the link address. Never open it in your normal browser.
2. Check reputation
Paste it into VirusTotal and URLScan.io. URLScan shows a screenshot of the page and where it redirects — fake login pages are obvious there.
3. Read the sender properly
Look at the real sender address and the email headers.
- Does the domain match the company it claims to be?
- Do SPF, DKIM and DMARC pass?
- Is the Reply-To different from the From address?
4. Report it
Forward it to your IT or security team, then delete it. If you already clicked and typed a password, change it immediately and tell IT — speed matters more than embarrassment.
Tools mentioned
VirusTotalURLScan.ioMXToolboxCyberChef
⟩ takeaway
Copy, check, read the headers, report. Two minutes of caution beats two weeks of incident response.
⟩ keep reading
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