I clicked on a link that I thought was about football, but it turned out to be a shortened URL. After clicking it, I was taken to a site that had a 'Cloudflare verification' box. I clicked through without entering any personal information, but now I'm worried that just clicking the verification box might have put me at risk. Is there a chance I could be in trouble after this, and what does this site actually aim to do?
2 Answers
Definitely run a full scan with your anti-virus software. Clicking links can sometimes execute scripts or download malware, depending on how they're coded. It's good practice to hover over links to see their true destination first. Even though I haven't heard of anyone pretending to be Cloudflare, it doesn't hurt to be cautious. Better safe than sorry!
You're likely fine, but it's a good idea to not click on links unless you trust them. If you're really curious about what it does, consider using services like any.run to analyze it safely. Just be careful.
Thanks for the advice! I'm a bit out of the loop since I've been on a break from tech, so I appreciate your input. If scripts could run just by clicking a link, wouldn't it be a major issue online? Also, I didn't notice any downloads happening, so I hope I'm in the clear.