Q: how do i make sue a link is safe before i click on it
My friend sent me a link via email that she thought I'd find interesting. How can I make sure it's safe before I open it?
Posted on May 26, 2016 7:37 AM
Don't click any advertisement. Do not pass your mouse pointer over green or blue, double-underlined text. In Safari's View menu, select Show Status Bar. When you roll over a link, a panel will appear along the bottom of Safari showing you the web address. If you have never heard of the site, then don't click on it.
When I visit a website, my mouse pointer is positioned on the top, or edge of Safari so that it does not come close to any web content when it appears. Never, ever click on any dialog box that appears on your browser over a website, or in a new pop-up. Apple will never pop-up a dialog telling you that you are infected by something. Those are scams with Apple sounding names, or domain names.
Some of these scams will not let you quit Safari until you click on their dialog. Don't. Press option+command+Esc key combination and force quit Safari. Press and hold the shift key when starting Safari again to avoid loading the previous site. From the Safari Application menu, choose Clear History… and remove everything. You might consider enabling the Safari Developer menu item from Safari Preferences : Advanced tab. Once you do this, an option+command+E key sequence will clear your browser cache, since the Clear History process appears to not do so.
A friend sending you a link does mean that it is a safe destination.
Posted on May 27, 2016 7:51 AM
