Phishing links are designed to look legitimate. Hovering reveals where they actually lead before you’re already there.
What to do:
- Before clicking any link in an email, hover your cursor over it and look at the address that appears at the bottom of your screen or in a tooltip.
- If the web address looks unusual, doesn’t match the company’s real domain, or contains a string of random characters, don’t click it.
- When in doubt, go directly to the website by typing the address into your browser manually.
Common mistake: Attackers are very good at making links look real. A link that displays as “click here to verify your account” might lead to “amaz0n-verify.ru” — which is obvious if you look, but invisible if you just click.
Urgency is the weapon: “Your account will be suspended in 24 hours” is designed to make you click before you think.
The hover habit is free, takes one second, and catches most phishing attempts before they have a chance to cause damage.
How to know it’s done:
- Every employee knows how to hover over a link and read the destination URL
- The habit is reinforced in regular IT communications (your newsletter is a great place to remind people monthly)
