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Aug 15, 2023 · Download from a reputable website. Only download files or software from trusted sources and websites. A third-party, unknown, or poorly made website won’t be as safe as the site of a reputable, established company. Questionable websites can harbor hidden viruses or back doors that give others access to your computer without your knowledge.
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To do this, you'll need to locate a file's download link. That's the direct link to download the file, not just the address of the file's download page. For example, if you want to scan a .exe file, you'll need the direct link to the .exe file. If you want to scan a .doc file, you'll need the direct link to the .doc file. You can spot this by mousing over the link and looking at the address in your browser.
Right-click the link and select "Copy link address" in Chrome, "Copy Link Location" in Firefox, or "Copy link" in Edge.
Next, head to VirusTotal.com in your web browser. This tool has been owned by Google since 2012.
Click the "URL" tab on the page and then paste the link you copied into the box. Click the search button or press Enter to scan the file.
VirusTotal will download the file you specified to its servers and scan it with a large number of different antivirus engines. If other people have recently scanned the file, VirusTotal will show you the recent scan results.
If you see "No engines detected this URL", that means that none of VirusTotal's antivirus engines said there was a problem with the file.
To make this process easier, the VirusTotal project offers browser extensions. These will integrate VirusTotal into your browser, allowing you to right-click a link on any web page and select a "Scan with VirusTotal" option. You won't have to visit the VirusTotal website and copy-paste a link.
Extensions are available for Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Internet Explorer. If you're looking to install the VirtusTotal extension for Microsoft Edge, you need to enable Google Chrome extensions in Edge, and then install the Google Chrome version. Download the appropriate extension and you can right-click a link and select the VirusTotal option to quickly scan it and see the results.
If VirusTotal is unanimous that a file is dangerous, you should stay away. If the results are mixed, you should be careful, but you may want to examine the more detailed antivirus results to see why they say the file is dangerous.
If a file is clean, that means it's not detected by any antiviruses as malware. That doesn't mean it's safe, of course---antivirus software isn't perfect and may not detect new malware, so ensure you're getting your programs from a trusted source.
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Nov 23, 2023 · Checking to see if a website has an SSL is simple: look at the address bar when you visit a site. You should see: “https://” at the beginning of the URL. The “s” at the end of the http means “secure.”. A lock icon on the far left side of the address bar. This lock signifies a secure connection between you and the site.
Oct 20, 2022 · A lock icon near your browser’s URL field. The padlock icon near your browser’s URL field is another indicator that a webpage is safe to visit. This icon usually appears in the address bar and means the site uses SSL encryption. Security tools and icon and warning appearances depend on the web browser.
Jul 14, 2024 · If you are using Google Chrome, click the icon that resembles two slider bars next to the URL in the address bar. If the website is using SSL/TLS certificates, it should say "Connection is secure" in the drop-down menu. 6. Avoid downloading shady files. Download Article.
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Is it safe to download files from the Internet?
Oct 3, 2023 · Checking the Source. One of the first steps to determine if a download is safe is to carefully examine the source of the file. The credibility and reputation of the website or platform from which you are downloading play a crucial role in ensuring the safety of the file. Start by verifying the website’s legitimacy.