What is Link Checker?
Link Checker is a manual URL-checking tool that lets you review suspicious links before visiting them. It is available in all browsers and on all devices, so you can use it to check links from emails, texts, social media messages, or websites before deciding whether to open them.
Link Checker is a result of NordLabs experiments and was created in response to the growing scale and complexity of malicious websites and online scams. Suspicious links are becoming harder to spot with the naked eye. Simple tricks, such as replacing “Amazon” with “Arnason” in a URL, are now often combined with convincing webpage designs, fake offers, copied branding, or URL shorteners that hide the real destination.
If you fall for a phony website, the outcome depends on the attackers’ goal. Sometimes closing the page without clicking any links can reduce the risk to your device or data. In other cases, clicking a malicious link could expose you to a phishing page, payment data theft, or a drive-by download — a hidden download that tries to infect your device without much action on your part.
To make scam warnings easier to understand, Link Checker also includes an AI-powered feature that can explain why a webpage was marked as a scam. The explanation is written in plain language, helping you understand why the page may be risky. This feature is initially available only in English, with more languages coming soon!
How Link Checker works
Link Checker scans the URL you enter and compares it against data sources that track known and suspected malicious websites.
Depending on the result, Link Checker shows either no known signs of malicious activity or a warning about a specific risk, such as malware, phishing, spam, potentially unwanted applications (PUA), potentially unwanted search engine (PUSE) redirects, scams, or other suspicious activity. PUA refers to apps that may behave in unwanted or risky ways, while PUSE redirects can send your searches through unwanted search engines.
Link Checker checks the URL against security databases and NordVPN’s own threat research to see whether the site has been linked to scams, malware, phishing, or other suspicious activity.
It also uses NordVPN’s machine learning model to recognize zero-day phishing patterns — signs of new phishing pages that may not yet appear in security databases — and other indicators that a website is fake, such as pages imitating popular brands.
For pages marked as scams, Link Checker’s AI-powered feature can explain the warning signs in plain language, so you don’t just see a risk label — you understand what looked suspicious. This explanation is initially available only in English.
Benefits of Link Checker
Link Checker gives you more than a basic risk label. It checks the URL against security data, looks for signs of fake websites, and may explain scam warnings in understandable language. That can help you decide whether to avoid a link, report it, or treat the page with extra caution before entering any personal details.
You can use Link Checker for free — no account or subscription required — and there’s no limit to the number of websites you can check. You can use Link Checker to:
- Check suspicious links before opening them.
- Spot phishing pages that may try to steal your login details, payment information, or other sensitive data.
- Identify websites associated with malware, spam, scams, PUA, PUSE redirects, or other suspicious activity.
- Learn why a page may have been marked as a scam with an AI-powered explanation, initially available in English.
However, Link Checker is a manual tool, so you have to enter URLs one by one. If you want protection that works while you browse, NordVPN’s next-gen antivirus can help scan websites automatically and block access to dangerous pages. It can also help block malicious downloads, intrusive ads, trackers that follow your browsing activity, phishing pages, fake shops, and scam websites. This feature is included with selected NordVPN plans.
Powered by NordLabs
NordLabs is a NordVPN project focused on experimental cybersecurity and privacy tools. It explores new ways to use machine learning, artificial intelligence, and other emerging technologies to make online safety tools more useful.
If you’re interested in NordLabs products, join the waitlist for a chance to try new tools early. You may be invited to test unreleased features for free and share feedback with the NordLabs team as it improves tools for wider use.
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