This can happen on both mobile devices and
desktop computers. It also depends on the page on which we are browsing,
but even if that site is legitimate, it is possible that in some way it has
suffered an attack, it is a fraudulent advertisement or that it even contains
harmful download links by mistake.
That
is why it is convenient to know how to identify download buttons or links that
may be fraud. In this way we can protect our devices and avoid taking
unnecessary risks to our security.
Something
very common is to find an ad that pretends to be a software repository. It
appears there and a button appears to supposedly go to the page to download a
program that we are looking for, for example. But in reality it takes us
to a very different website, it may open several windows or even in the worst
case lead to a site loaded with malware.
Take
a good look at the URL before clicking
One
of the first tips to identify if a download button or link is legitimate is to
take a good look at the URL. But be careful, you do not have to click and
wait to see which direction we are going. The idea here is to move the
mouse cursor over it, but without actually clicking. We will see that
automatically at the bottom of the browser the URL that leads to that link will appear .
We
can also right-click on that banner or link and click on
copy link. Later we paste it in a text file or even in the address bar,
but without actually pressing to enter.
Do
we see something strange in that link? The idea here is to identify
if the domain of the site is real , matches what we are
looking for and inspires confidence. If we see that the link is very
strange, long and does not show us anything that we really expect, it is a
false button or link.
Place
and form in which that button or link appears
We
can also look at where that download button or link appears and in what way. For
example, if we see a striking , large banner with
bright and even changing colors, while the rest of the page is all more static
and different, it could be simply a click-bait.
The
same would happen if we see that those download links are not positioned where
they should. For example out of context on a website.
Insistent
messages
"Please
update as soon as possible", "your computer is in danger and you have
to install this add-on" ... Messages seeking fear of
a possible inexperienced victim. This way they may click to try to fix the
problem.
This
is another example that we are facing a download button or false link. We
will not get anything when we open it, beyond possible security problems.
The
page we are on
Although
as we have said a legitimate site could be affected in some way by these
problems, the visibility of the page we are on is
very important. By this we mean sites that are reliable, legitimate and
guaranteed.
In this
way we can have less chance that a button or link is actually a fraud.
We
recommend you read our tutorial on how to know if our
router is being attacked .
