Page 55 - Cyber Safety C-6

“Clicking on these harmful links can cause different kinds of damage. Let us
learn about these.”

Harm Caused by Malicious Links

Malicious links are a serious threat because they can be hard to spot and are often disguised.
They can cause the following harm:

Stealing Impersonation Identity theft scams
Information Fake sites steal credentials. others.

Installing Harmful software damages Stealing Hackers steal virtual
Malware devices. Virtual Items currency.

Ransomware Files locked, money Accessing Hackers access personal
Attacks demanded. Sensitive Files documents

“Malicious links are a serious concern. However, all is not lost. The best way
to stay safe is to spot them before you click. Let us learn how to identify these
harmful links.”

Identifying Malicious Links

Here are some ways to identify them:

Look for suspicious web addresses: Check the link carefully. If it looks strange or uses random
letters and numbers, it could be malicious. For example, links that look like “www.freeprize.
com” might be fake.

Check for misspellings: Malicious links often have misspelled words or strange characters. If
the website address doesn’t look quite right, be cautious.

Look for HTTP vs. HTTPS: Secure websites start with HTTPS (the "S" stands for secure). If a link
starts with just HTTP, it might not be safe and you should avoid clicking it.
Hover over links: Hover your mouse over a link without clicking it. This will show you the actual
web address. If the address looks suspicious or different from what you expect, don't click it.

Safe Surfing: Links, Scams and Malware 53