Tools for Phishing and Security Audits

Modified on Wed, 15 Jul at 3:00 PM

Overview

Suspicious links are one of the most common ways malware and phishing attacks enter an organization. After identifying a questionable email, the next step is to safely evaluate any embedded links without clicking them directly.

Online URL scanning tools provide a secure, high-level way to analyze links and determine whether they may pose a risk.

What Are URL Scanning Tools?

URL scanning tools are web-based security services that evaluate links using multiple threat intelligence sources and security engines. Examples include:

VirusTotal
URLVoid
Sucuri SiteCheck
Google Safe Browsing (Transparency Report)
Hybrid Analysis (for deeper inspection)

Again, these tools provide a high-level view of whether a link may be associated with malware, phishing, or other suspicious activity. Some of these tools scan other content like files. Use at your discretion, never upload content that despite being suspect as malicious which could also be considered private or secret.

When Should You Use Them?

Use a URL scanning tool anytime you encounter:

Unexpected or unsolicited emails
Links from unknown or external senders
Urgent or unusual requests (e.g., “verify now,” “click immediately”)
Misspelled or suspicious-looking URLs
Links that do not match the sender or context
Something just seems a little off

How to Scan a URL (High-Level Steps)

Do NOT click the link
- Right-click the link and copy the URL instead
Open a trusted URL scanning tool, like one above
- Use one of the tools listed above in your web browser
Paste the URL into the tool
- Submit the link for analysis
Run the scan
- Allow the tool to evaluate the link
Review the results
- Look for indicators such as malware, phishing, or suspicious activity
- Many tools provide a summary score or detection count

How to Interpret Results

No detections / clean result
- No known threats identified, but caution is still advised. Many of these sites are community maintained and by nature, incomplete and not up-to-date.
Limited or mixed detections
- Could be a false positive. Validate further before proceeding
Multiple detections or flagged as malicious
- Strong indicator the link is unsafe
- Do not click or interact with it

Best Practices

Always scan suspicious links before interacting with them
Cross-check findings by using more than one scanning tool if needed
Combine this step with email awareness practices:
- How to Identify Spam, Phishing, Fraud, and Spoofing
Be cautious even with links from known contacts. Their account(s) can be compromised

Important Notes

These tools provide high-level assessments, not guarantees of safety
Newly created or highly targeted threats may not yet be detected
Avoid submitting sensitive or internal URLs unless approved, as some tools share data with security vendors

Summary

Using online URL scanning tools is a simple and effective way to reduce risk from phishing and malicious content. By taking a few seconds to validate a link before clicking, you help protect both yourself and the organization.