Privacy, Security & Virus Information

Even Shortened URLs Can Let A Hacker In

While industry experts have stated that previous fears that that the practice of shortening URLs may have been exaggerated, there is no doubt that hackers have added this practice of vulnerable spots that can be used to infiltrate viruses into unsuspecting user's computers.

The announcement came after Twitter, revealed that they had recently implemented a new and powerful security system designed to scan many thousands of shortened URLs that are posted in tweets. The scan will be used to weed out viruses of all types that can infiltrate computers through bogus URL's.

While Twitter's actions to protect users from malicious sites are to be praised, this increased security is now reckoned to be less pressing as originally thought. The shortened URLs used in Tweets and similar sites that have been consistently "finger pointed" as a major potential to for leading their users to malicious sites recent analysis of Twitter links showed a very low p[percentage of links leading to web sites that were not legitimate. That doesn't mean that the people whose computer's security was compromised as a result of such an attack and that if that method has failed another one coming from a different direction won't be more successful.

As far as the shortened URL syndrome is concerned, as to be expected industry security experts all conclude that the only method that can guarantee almost complete security is virus scanning of every URL link and its content.

While Twitter and other media that favour the use of shortened links undertake to scan links they can only realistically do so on a random basis, the situation is exacerbated by the fact that hackers know that they can their viruses and malwares as harmless content to the Twitter scanners, while pointing harmful content to the end user.

The shortened URL experience only goes to prove that hackers will investigate every possible weak link to attack innocent surfer's computers and the only way that they can be warded off is by installing the moist powerful security software available; on the market today. Asks hackers are on the constant alert for new vulnerable zones then the online computer security industry have to be equally alert. That means being in unceasing touch with developments and being able to face the genuine threats posed to their customers who have placed the important issue of computer security in their hands.

 

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