How Do You Decide Whether a Website Is Safe and Trustworthy?

siphodlamini

Hi everyone,

With so many websites available online, I think it's becoming increasingly important to know how to recognize trustworthy websites and avoid suspicious ones.

Sometimes a website may look professional but still contain misleading information, unexpected redirects, suspicious links, or outdated content. This can make it difficult for ordinary users to know which websites they can trust.

I'm interested in learning how other members approach online safety:

• Do you check website security certificates before entering personal information?
• Do you rely on security software warnings when visiting unfamiliar websites?
• How do you recognize suspicious links or potentially unsafe websites?
• What advice would you give someone who wants to browse more safely?

I believe combining reliable security software with good browsing habits is important for protecting personal information.

Looking forward to hearing your experiences and suggestions!

Ukko

Do you check website security certificates before entering personal information?

for 'general' websites - now useless. many of them can use generic Let's Encrypt, which are not tied to anything of any real significance.

even some 'proper' websites do not always have OV / EV certificates.

and many more limitations and exceptions, which would make manual checks either very difficult or largely pointless.

as such, a modern up-to-date system and browser should warn you in case of any trouble 'about'.

and, surely, it is not advisable to perform any critical tasks while on unsecured or untrusted networks.

Back when certificates provided a purpose beyond just posturing or so-called "privacy" (against / for who-knows-what), this was one of my favorite things to do, because it allowed you to at least know the identity of the organization behind a website; and their level of commitment.

Do you rely on security software warnings when visiting unfamiliar websites?

To a significant extent.

Otherwise, all websites pose a risk: they are either hacked or used to distribute malicious software. By default.

It is always a good idea to check unfamiliar website you are visiting yourself (or simply avoid visiting it altogether), but if a specialized security solution fails to help or to warn you about a threat in time, then.. it is not nice. Most modern troubles are, for the most part, "invisible" to the user. Either only the impact itself will be noticeable, or the problem will become apparent only after the impact has already occurred (because it does not take much time).

in general, there are little reasons to visit unfamiliar websites at all.

How do you recognize suspicious links or potentially unsafe websites?

strange domain zone;

strange domain name;

too many subdomains in URL;

too many pages / levels in URL;

altering well-known and legit brands, names, use cases in URL;

pointed to a direct download of any executable or tricky extension;

used with a specified 'port' in URL;

within website itself: broken HTML/CSS layout, US-dialect in-use or too much excessive use of dialectal terms; unexpected language for a supposedly 'targeted' website; login prompts from a start.

but, in general, 'suspicious' and 'potentially unsafe' website is any site who depends on third-party scripts or third-party services.

What advice would you give someone who wants to browse more safely?

Browse and explore the real world, not the web.