Reading Links Like a Pro
Welcome to Module 1: Reading Links Like a Pro
Every phishing attack has a destination — a malicious link designed to steal your credentials, install malware, or trick you into handing over sensitive information. The problem? Those links are designed to look legitimate.
In this module, you’ll learn to read web addresses the way security professionals do — quickly, confidently, and accurately.
What You’ll Learn
- How web addresses actually work — The parts of a URL and the one rule that reveals the real destination
- How attackers disguise links — The four most common tricks used to make malicious URLs look safe
- How to verify links you’ve never seen — A step-by-step process for confirming whether a link is real
- Special cases — Country-specific domains and other edge cases that trip people up
Why This Matters
Links are the #1 delivery mechanism for phishing attacks. If you can read a URL and identify where it actually goes, you can stop most phishing attacks before they start — without needing any special tools.
Most people glance at a link and make a gut decision. Attackers exploit this by making URLs that look “close enough” to the real thing. After this module, you’ll have a systematic approach that takes seconds and catches what gut instinct misses.
Time Investment
This module takes about 25 minutes to complete:
- Lesson 1.1: How Web Addresses Work (8 min)
- Lesson 1.2: How Attackers Trick You With Addresses (8 min)
- Lesson 1.3: Verifying Links You’ve Never Seen (7 min)
- Module 1 Quiz (5 min)