Decoding Links & URLs
Checking URLs before you click a link is critical, particularly when dealing malicious messages. Links can lead you a page attempting to get your login information, or some other personal or confidential data. It may lead you to an infected file too new for your antivirus software to detect, or worse yet, a web page that can infect your computer just by opening the web page.
In order to examine a URL you will need to be able to break it up into components to determine where it is really taking you. You should also take another look at the URL in your browser after the page loads, as the first page may redirect you to another page.
| For computers with a mouse or trackpad | For mobile devices with a touchscreen |
|---|---|
| Move your mouse over the link like you would if you were going to click it, just don't click. Your browser should show the actual link destination in an overlay after a couple seconds. In most browsers this overlay appears near the bottom of your screen. | Press and hold the link. A popup should appear showing you the link destination. If you have a newer iOS device with 3D touch (iPhone 6s and newer) you may need to press lightly to avoid following the link. This may not work for all apps and devices. |
If you try the instructions above, you should be able to see the link below points to: https://www.athabascau.ca/cybersecurity
Note, the link text shown in an email or on a web page may look like a link to a completely different destination. For example the 2 links below both point to this cybersecurity website, not the myAU page. You can see this by hovering your mouse pointer over the link as described above.
Sample links with misleading destinations:
Components of a URL
Now that you can see the real link, it is important to understand the components of a URL to see if you should trust it or not.
URL Components:
This section breaks down a fairly complex URL into components. Please note, not all URLs have all these components. At a minimum you might only see the domain.
Example: http://search. athabascau.ca:80 /search.php?q=extension&start=0
| Component | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheme | http:// | This tells the server if you want an unencrypted (http://) or an encrypted (https://) connection. Not all server support both, and some may automatically change your connection from one to the other. If this portion is not included when you type it in your browser, it usually defaults to unencrypted (http://). Note: If you are ever asked for confidential or protected information on a http:// site (check the URL in your browser after the page opens) you should not submit the information. |
| Hostname | search.athabascau.ca | This is the hostname of the web server hosting the content. Hostnames are converted to an IP address so your web browser can find the right server. In some cases the IP address is provided directly, but typically not on production websites. |
| Domain | athabascau.ca | This is the portion of the Hostname that must be registered by an individual or organization. This is typically the most important part of the URL for determining if it is safe. This is the last 2 (or sometimes 3) parts (separated by the dots) of the hostname. More information on hostnames and domains can be found below. |
| Port | :80 | This tells your browser to connect to the server on a non-standard port. |
| Path | /search.php | This tells the server which resource you want to open. If you see a hostname or domain name as part of the path, this may be a phishing indicator. |
| Query/Fragment | ?q=extension&start=0 | This is additional information your browser is passing to the web page. |
Updated November 09, 2020 by Digital & Web Operations, University Relations (web_services@athabascau.ca)