Safe Links in Forums: A Guide

TL;DR

This guide shows you how to handle links safely in your discussion forums to protect users from malicious websites and improve the user experience. We’ll cover checking links, using link shorteners carefully, and educating your community.

1. Why Safe Link Handling Matters

Links can be a security risk. Malicious actors might share links that lead to:

• Phishing sites: Stealing usernames and passwords.
• Malware downloads: Infecting computers with viruses.
• Scam websites: Fraudulent offers or requests for money.

Good link handling builds trust and keeps your forum safe.

2. Checking Links Before Posting

1. Manual Inspection: Hover over the link (don’t click!) to see where it leads. Look for suspicious domain names or URLs that don’t match what’s expected.
2. URL Expanders: Use a URL expander service to reveal the true destination of shortened links before clicking. Some popular options include:
   • Unshorten.it
   • CheckShortURL
3. Reputation Checks: Use websites like VirusTotal (https://www.virustotal.com/gui/home/upload) to scan URLs for known malware or phishing attempts.

   Paste the URL into VirusTotal and click 'Search'.

3. Handling Link Shorteners

Link shorteners (like bit.ly or tinyurl.com) hide the true destination of a link. While convenient, they can also be used to disguise malicious URLs.

• Discourage Excessive Use: Encourage users to share full links whenever possible.
• Require Disclosure: If shorteners are allowed, ask users to state where the link leads (e.g., “Here’s a link to my blog post about cats:”).
• Automated Expansion: Consider using forum software or plugins that automatically expand shortened links when they’re posted. This can be complex and may require server resources.

4. Forum Software Features

Many forum platforms offer built-in features to help with link safety:

• Automatic Link Scanning: Some forums automatically scan links for known threats. Check your forum’s settings.
• Blacklists: Maintain a blacklist of known malicious domains or URLs. The forum will block posts containing these links.
• No-Follow Links: Set all external links to “no-follow” by default. This tells search engines not to trust the link, reducing the risk of SEO manipulation from spam links.

  (This setting is usually found in your forum's admin panel under 'SEO' or 'Link Settings')

5. Educating Your Community

• Forum Rules: Clearly state the rules regarding link sharing in your forum’s guidelines. Emphasize the importance of safe links and the consequences of posting malicious content.
• Awareness Posts: Regularly post reminders about phishing scams, malware threats, and how to identify suspicious links.
• Reporting Mechanism: Make it easy for users to report potentially harmful links.

6. Dealing with Suspicious Links

1. Remove the Link Immediately: If a link is reported as suspicious, remove it right away.
2. Investigate: Use the tools mentioned earlier (URL expanders, VirusTotal) to verify if the link is malicious.
3. Warn the User: If a user knowingly posted a harmful link, warn them and consider banning them from the forum.
4. Alert Users: If the link was live for a while, notify users who may have clicked on it to be cautious.