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Fundamentals

How to check links for viruses without clicking them

By William Price, Founder of Bastion Cyber Group Published Updated

This is a practical guide to checking questionable links without risking your systems. If you want to check links for viruses safely, here are the methods that work.

Can you get a virus just by clicking a link? Yes. The link itself won't infect your computer, but the site it points to can. If a page runs malicious JavaScript or other code, it can push your computer to download and run malware.

Malware has historically spread this way — often through fake "video player" or update prompts on social media that install malware when the victim clicks. Because links can be dangerous, it's worth knowing how to check one before you visit it.

The safest way to check a link is to use a link-checker service rather than opening the page. Several work well; VirusTotal is one of the best known — it checks files, URLs, domains, and hashes against dozens of malware engines and blacklists. Here are useful options:

  • Google Safe Browsing / Transparency Report — enter a URL and Google reports whether malware or phishing has been found on the site, drawing on its enormous crawl data.
  • CheckShortURL — expands shortened links so you can see where a bit.ly-style URL actually leads before visiting.
  • VirusTotal — checks a URL against 70+ antivirus scanners and blacklist services; also has apps and an API.
  • Sucuri SiteCheck — a respected website-security tool that checks for malware, blacklisting, errors, and out-of-date software.
  • URLVoid — a reputation checker that scans a site and reports whether it's potentially malicious.
  • ScanURL — aggregates Google Safe Browsing, PhishTank, and Web of Trust to tell you if a site is safe.
  • Kaspersky Threat Intelligence Portal — checks links (and lets you upload files) and reports quickly; you can request reanalysis if you disagree.
  • PhishTank — focuses on phishing sites specifically and can show a screenshot of the page in question.
  • Norton Safe Web — enter a URL for a safety verdict; a browser extension inspects sites as you browse.
  • DFNDR Lab (PSafe) — checks links against a malware database; unknown sites may need to be rechecked later.
  • Astra — a free link checker attached to a broader website-security product; can email a detailed report.
  • Virtual machine — for the truly suspicious, open the link inside a disposable VM that's isolated from your real environment.

Conclusion

Attackers rely on social engineering more than ever. Get the right employee to click the wrong link and they can potentially infect your whole network — so make checking suspicious links a habit, and give your team the tools to do it safely.

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