Surfing the internet has become a daily action for billions of people, but it is not always simple distinguish a reliable site from a dangerous one. Hacker and cybercriminals use different techniques to deceive users, steal personal data and disseminate malware. To protect themselves from their stratagems, it is essential to learn and recognize some signals that can help understand if a website He is safe or if he hides potential threats. Some details that may be reliability index of a site concern the URL structure, the presence of security protocols such as HTTPS, the padlock icon in the addresses bar and the contact information of the site. For example, it can be useful to check the symbol of the security status of the web address but it is also important to pay attention to the graphic appearance of the site: grammatical errors, invasive pop-ups and an unwittingly-kept design can be signs of a fraudulent site. We analyze these more closely and other signals not to ignore.
6 signals to distinguish a reliable site from a dangerous one
Lack of the HTTPS protocol and the SSL certificate
One of the first checks to be carried out is to check whether the site uses the HTTPS protocol (Hypetext Transfer Protocol Secure). This communication system protects the data exchanged between your device and the website, thanks to a security certificate called SSL (Secure Sockets Layer). An unanswered site is not necessarily dangerous, but if you are asked to enter sensitive data (such as password or payment information), it is better to avoid. In addition to the acronym “Https: //” At the beginning of the URL, you should also see an icon in the shape of padlock In the browser addresses bar: by clicking on it, you can get information on the security certification of the site.
URL of the site other than the original one
Another aspect to be analyzed is theURL of the site. Scammers often create false sites with names very similar to the original ones, exploiting common beating errors (a technique known as Typostatting). For example, you may find “Ge0p0p.it” instead of “Geopop.it”. Before entering personal data, always check that the address is written correctly and that the domain is the official one.
Contact information absent or inaccurate
A potential alarm bell that you would do well not to ignore it concerns the lack of verifiable contact information. A reliable site should always have a dedicated section with e-mail addresses, telephone numbers and, if it is a company, a physical location, clearly indicated. If you do not find any reference or if the contacts are vague and not very detailed, it is better to keep your eyes open.
Critical, absent or fake online reviews
The Online reviews They can be an excellent resource to evaluate the reliability of a site. Search for the name of the site on a search engine followed by the word “reviews” And check what other users say. Be careful if you find too many identical or extremely positive reviews: they could be false and published specifically to deceive visitors. If, on the contrary, you notice reports of fraud, problems in payments or failure to deliver products, it is likely that the site you are “investigating” to be unreliable.
Contents of the site from the dubious quality
A suspicious website often presents grammatical and spelling mistakes, imprecise translations or poor graphics. This happens because many fraudulent sites are quickly created by hackers who do not cure the details. If the site appears disordered, with shelled images and little understandable texts, it could be a scam.
Presence of invasive banners
Another alarm bell is the Excessive presence of pop-ups and invasive advertisements. The non -secure sites often show windows that open continuously, perhaps with alarming messages of the type “Your device is infected!” or “You won a prize!”. This type of notices, known as scarewareonly serve to push you to download harmful software or provide personal information. If you find yourself on a site with this type pop-up, close it immediately.
And even if a site should seem apparently safe, know that if you want you can verify its reliability by exploiting special toolslike Google’s safe navigation, which analyzes the sites in real time and reports any threats. By entering the URL in the service search bar, you can get a report on the reputation of the site and know if it has been reported for harmful activities. If so, obviously avoid the site reported as dangerous.
