NordVPN has launched a free tool that scans sites to determine if they’re safe. Link Checker examines sites for various types of malware and also assesses if they’re fake or being used for phishing scams.
“Malicious websites are becoming harder to spot with the naked eye,” Vykintas Maknickas, NordVPN’s head of product strategy, said in a press release shared with VPNOverview on Monday. “Link Checker is a response to the growing scale and intricacy of phishing attempts online.”
To use this tool, visit the dedicated Link Checker page on the NordVPN website, paste the URL of the website you want to check, and click “Analyze.” It will scan the site and notify you if it poses a threat to your safety. The tool is free and is compatible with all browsers and devices.
‘One of the Most Inclusive Data Sources to Detect Harmful URLs’
Cybercriminals are incredibly good at mimicking trusted websites to snare unsuspecting victims. During the holiday season in 2023, cybersecurity experts warned that threat actors are impersonating luxury brands.
“Well-known typography tricks, such as replacing ‘Amazon’ with ‘Arnason’ in a URL, which have worked for well-known domains, have now been upgraded to suspicious elements hidden under a URL shortener, often making phishing websites look legit,” Maknickas noted.
While navigating away from a malicious website without interacting with it might be enough to protect your device and sensitive data, in some cases, merely opening a malicious site could expose you to a “drive-by download attack” and other threats, NordVPN explained.
Link Checker uses NordVPN’s in-house machine learning model to identify “zero-day phishing patterns” in websites. The tool also leverages Nord’s Intelligence Database to identify fake or potentially unsafe websites.
“In fact, Link Checker incorporates information on 95% of the most popular domains mimicked by cybercriminals, who often use phony variations to disguise online scams or malware,” Maknickas added.
Link Checker is the second experimental product from NordLabs. The first, Sonar, is an AI-powered tool that can detect phishing emails.
How to Stay Safe Online
Billions of people who browse the internet daily are oblivious to the dangers of malicious websites. Link Checker can improve your online security by identifying unsafe websites.
We recommend combining NordVPN with “Link Checker” for comprehensive protection. NordVPN doesn’t just cloak your internet traffic from hackers; it also comes with Threat Protection, which shields you from trackers and ads, and alerts you if your device has any vulnerabilities.
NordVPN is currently our top-ranking VPN; it scored top marks in our tests for security, privacy, and reliability. While this VPN is quite affordable, you can save on your subscription with our exclusive discount.
Check out our NordVPN review to learn more about how this VPN can protect you from online threats.
For more news, follow us on X (Twitter), Threads, and Mastodon!
