Most phishing attacks succeed because the link looks “close enough.” A quick triage process catches the majority of bad links before you click.
This isn’t about memorizing every trick. It’s about adopting a consistent process that is fast enough to use daily. If your process takes five minutes, you won’t use it. If it takes 30–60 seconds, you will.
The 60-second triage
- Expand short links (the destination matters more than the text).
- Follow the redirect chain and confirm the final domain.
- Watch for lookalike domains (typos, extra hyphens, swapped letters).
- Be cautious with unexpected downloads or login prompts.
The top 5 patterns attackers rely on
- Lookalike domains: a letter swap or extra word that your brain overlooks.
- Urgency: “your account will be closed today” pushes you to skip checking.
- Familiar branding: logos and CSS copied from the real site.
- Unexpected file types: “invoice.pdf.exe” or macro-enabled documents.
- Credential harvesting: a login prompt you didn’t request.
Use a known official channel (directly typing the domain, using a trusted bookmark, or an official directory). Don’t authenticate via a suspicious link.
A safe “decision tree” for teams
- If the link requests credentials and you didn’t initiate the flow, do not proceed.
- If the domain is unfamiliar but the message claims to be from an internal system, verify with IT/security.
- If the email requests payment changes or bank details, verify via a known phone number.
- If the page downloads a file unexpectedly, stop and scan the file in a safe environment.
Where tools help
Tools can surface redirect chains and suspicious response patterns quickly. But final decisions are human: if something feels off, verify via an official source.
Use tools to speed up investigation, not to outsource judgment. Attackers can make a page look clean until the last step. Your safest move is often to avoid the link entirely and use an official route.