How many times has someone sent you a link, and after clicking it, you thought, What if I just got hacked?
Let’s start with something that 100% happens when you open any link.
What Happens When You Open a Link?
The moment you click a link, the website you visited will know four things for sure:
- Your IP address.
- Your user agent header.
- How many times you’ve opened the link.
- When you opened the link.
Now, let’s break these down.
IP Address: This is what people are often afraid of exposing. But unless you have a static IP (unlikely for most), your IP address changes frequently—maybe even several times a week. So, it’s not as big of a deal as many think.
User Agent Header: This tells the website what type of device you’re using, like whether you’re on an iPhone or Android. It can even include the exact model, which sounds scarier than an IP address, but it’s still not something to lose sleep over.
The Other Stuff: Things like the number of times you opened the link and the timestamp are just stats. They’re not dangerous by themselves and can’t be used maliciously.
So, opening a link alone doesn’t compromise you... usually.
The Shady Side of Links
Here’s where things get sketchy: phishing links and scams.
Take this example: a link might look like it’s from “instagram.com,” but if you’re not careful, it could be a fake page designed to steal your login info. But even then, just opening the link won’t hack you. For an attacker to succeed, you’d have to:
- Open the link.
- Enter your correct credentials.
- Submit the form.
If you skip any of these steps, you’re fine. In fact, even entering incorrect data won’t compromise you.
But here’s the catch: sometimes you can be hacked without entering any data.
How? Exploits Like Clickjacking and CSRF
Imagine this: you open a seemingly harmless link that asks you to click two buttons. You don’t think much of it, but suddenly, your two-factor authentication (2FA) on another website gets disabled. How did that happen?
This is called clickjacking. A malicious website can embed the real settings menu of a site you use but make it nearly invisible (opacity set to 0.001, for example). Fake buttons are placed where the real ones are, tricking you into clicking something harmful.
Fortunately, many modern websites like Instagram or Discord use protections like the X-Frame-Options header, which prevents other websites
from embedding them. But the threat doesn’t stop there.
The Scary Side: Exploit Links
Now, let’s talk about something more serious—exploit links.
Imagine this scenario: someone sends you a link in a chat. You open it, and without doing anything else, your account reacts to a message with something inappropriate, like a racial slur. Scary, right?
This is a CSRF attack (Cross-Site Request Forgery). It can get even worse. For example, a vulnerability might allow your email address to be updated just by opening a link. If an attacker changes your email address to theirs, they can request a password reset and take over your account.
Should You Open Links?
Now you might be wondering: Can opening a link install malware on my device?
The answer is, probably not—unless you’re using an outdated browser or there’s a bug that allows a sandbox escape. Most modern browsers are secure enough to prevent this. However, my honest advice is: don’t open random links.
Why? Because even if you’re careful, you can’t predict every scenario. For instance:
- An attacker might find a command execution vulnerability in a website and craft a link that wipes the entire server.
- Or they might exploit an open redirect vulnerability, where a trustworthy website redirects you to a malicious one.
How to Stay Safe
You don’t need fancy software to protect yourself from bad links. Tools can give you a false sense of security, making you careless about what you’re clicking. Instead, follow these tips:
- Avoid opening random links, even from friends (their accounts could be hacked).
- Use incognito mode for added safety, but remember it’s not foolproof.
- Stay cautious and verify where a link is taking you.
Remember: you are your best defense.
Final Thoughts
These scenarios might sound scary, but many are unlikely to happen. As long as you stay informed and cautious, you’ll be fine.
If you have more questions or want advice, you can post a comment and we'll reach back to you. We’re a community of positive, like-minded individuals who can help you out with honest answers and advice.
Thanks for reading! And if you found this helpful, share it with others, and stay safe online.