Example of a valid link.
By Meiren Park, IT Communications Intern
You get a lot of links thrown at you everyday, from various sources: email, texts, Twitter, websites and so on. Viruses and malware can enter your computer just by clicking on it. Play it safe by checking the link before you click on it.
You can check a link by hovering over it with your cursor. Look at the bottom left of your screen to see whether the link is legit or not. A legitimate link won’t have a long string of letters and numbers–it’ll just be the same URL as the link you’re about to click on. For example, if the link says “www.google.com,” that same link should appear on the bottom left of your screen. In the example above from the New York Times, the cursor was placed over an image and the image’s link appeared on the lower left.
If you’re not sure whether a link is good or not, call IT Customer Care to report it.
Don’t fall victim to a malicious attack. Be careful before you check out the newest link you find on your feed! Read more about this on our web page, Spam and Phishing.
Image: “New York Film Festival Offers Quiet Treasures and a Little Jazz,” New York Times, October 7, 2015.
