Shortening The Link

URL shortening essentially exchanges an original URL for a shorter version. When the short URL is clicked, the website looks up the longer URL and redirects the user to the actual destination. A few of the dangers associated with URL shortening is that users are blinded to the actual URL they are about to visit by clicking on an unknown link, which may contain a malware download, phishing sites, or other spam-related material. Since the proliferation of Twitter (where shortened links are common place) caution sees to have gone by the wayside, often times, a lot of trust is given by even the most savvy users who will click on shortened URL’s without hesitation. Scammers capitalize on this fact, as well as shortening their URLs to bypass spam filters (because the actual domain is not sent via email the malicious link is more likely to evade some filters). Currently, there are high volumes of spam utilizing many different URL shortening services. Finally, and worthy to note, shortening services are typically free, do not check the link, or utilize any captcha technology to prevent abuse. Such ease of access allows cybercriminals to conveniently utilize automation built-in by spammers, thereby allowing them to abuse the service with efficiency.