Bitcoin Forum

I know that there are many users especially those new users would post links up for others to click such as this is the electrum download etc and its a virus/trojan etc.  I notice some of the mods here who quickly delete any link they find suspicious etc to protect other users from it.


Now i notice underneath a lot of each poster's post, there is like a link/ad that is from this site.  Has anyone clicked on those links and if so, are those safe?  Because it seems like if you visit this forum, you probably should do it on a separate computer where you have no btc wallet or anything even like a password manager like lastpass or keepass on it because clicking on links like that could potentially be a virus/trojan where a hacker could see everything on your computer?


Does anyone here use a separate computer while visiting this forum because well you could accidentally misclick on someone's link or any link on this forum

Clicking strange links doesn't mean it will lead automatically into a strange location or sources. Some of those are legit ads. I have been clicking even the suspicious ones just to check it but nothing wrong happened till now. As a long time internet guy, we should now know how to deal with this suspicious links. Im not even running an Anti-Virus, just a Windows Defender is enough. And browsers today also have it's security to detect a suspicious links.

We just have to used our common sense on what we encounter in the internet world. If people look at some links as suspicious ones, then disregard. If out of curiousity and still want to click it, they just have to analyzed the next sequence and so on.

But if you are really over protective to your personal belongings then I see no wrong to have a spare machine for your important things.

I do not use another computer. I have a very good anti-virus for it.
However, the most important thing is to be vigilant. You should pay attention to who publishes the link and even if it is a pretty well-trusted user, it's always better to check the link via virustotal (https://www.virustotal.com).

I very rarely open links on the forum. But when I opened it, nothing bad happened to me. In General, it is best to install the extension on your browser, which will show you a reliable site or not.

No, I don't use another computer when I click a link.

If I'm familiar with the link and I know it's safe to visit, I'm clicking it but if I'm not familiar, I won't click.

If you're really worried about dangerous links on this forum, using something like Sandboxie (link here (https://www.sandboxie.com/)) to sandbox off your browser from the rest of your PC and using the forums from there would likely work, though Sandboxie does take a bit of resources from your PC. I typically only use Sandboxie for dubious downloads so my PC isn't exposed to viruses or malware, though in my experience very few links on this forum are truly dangerous as the moderators here are very good at removing posts with questionable links embedded.

I've been using the 'net for years like most people here, and the simple action of clicking a link has never directly lead to my computer being infected with a virus or any of my information being stolen. Shouldn't be a big problem in the first place.

I agree with @ETFBitcoin, one of the best add-ons is NoScript Extension. I use it on my Firefox and I feel a little safe even when I click on unfamiliar links.
It blocks so many unfamiliar scripts by default and it's only you who can unblock them.

Otherwise, if you are very security conscious... it's quite easy to notice malicious links even before you click on them.

I don't think it's likely for you to get compromised just by clicking on a link or opening a site, but I use Adblockers/malware blocker and pop-up blockers since that is where viruses come from most of the time. Other times, you will be asked to install an extension or application before the virus gets into the system so be wary of those. You can sometimes tell when a site doesn't look legit by judging from it's domain name.

Well adblockers/malware blockers will most likely not see Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross_site_scripting) and Clickjacking (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clickjacking) coming when you visit a compromised website.
NoScript perfectly stops them even before they do anything.

Cryptojackers? Isn't this part of getting your browser compromised too? What can your  adblockers really do to stop cryptojackers  ;D

So far, I'm safe, even though I don't use a separate computer, it's just that there are steps that I use to be safe.
A few tips

• Be sure to use the Anti-Virus computer and the search tools that you use safely
  Please download here if you like https://www.avast.com/id-id/secure-browser
• Use the Adblock extension
  Adblock for firefox: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/adblock-plus/
  Adblock for chrome: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/adblock/gighmmpiobklfepjocnamgkkbiglidom?hl=en
• Improve computer security standards
• Scan the file before downloading
• Be careful in fishing and other fraud
• Make sure the Online site that you visit is safe
• Use the Host file
  The tutorial can be seen here: https://www.thewindowsclub.com/hosts-file-in-windows
• I always use the private browsing feature.
  For more details please visit https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/private-browsing-use-firefox-without-histo

How does this even possible?

Btw I use Linux since years ago, it's a better OS in my options compared to Windows. It should be an alternative OS so that if you click the malicious link your OS won't get compromised easily. But most of the times, attacks come from phishing link, fake address, script and so on.

There's some good advice in here, but also some misleading advice.

It is definitely good advice to use an ad-blocker, but Adblock Plus isn't that great a choice. uBlock Origin is generally considered the best option

Private browsing does absolutely nothing to protect you online. All it does it stop your computer from saving local history, which is only relevant if you don't want someone else using your computer to see what you were doing. It makes no difference to online privacy or security.

In terms of the hosts file, here is a great resource to get you started: https://github.com/StevenBlack/hosts

I use the Brave browser
I have an alternative Linux machine for additional security
I mouse over links before clicking them.
I don't use links to visit banking sites, I enter the URL into the direct navigation bar.
I look at the poster before I consider any signature campaigns.
I've got AVG anti-virus, and some other stuff I use.

Firstly have an anti virus system on your device you can get virus from any where in the internet not necessarily only on this forum.
Also have a 2fa authenticator on your system. Then be very careful with the links you click. But not all links are phishing link or virus attachment

Prevention is better than treatment, in addition to what has been mentioned above, you do not need to click on the link to know the site.
Stop the cursor at any link, you will see a small box below the browser, check it before pressing.

Some of you guys are so paranoid, you think every single person is out to get you.  Don't let a few bad apples turn you into a cold and bitter person.

But if by chance anybody  clicked on these malicious link then report these link and user to moderator. User will be banned from this forum if found spreading the malicious link and link will be also removed.

I alway click the direct links for articles, news, or guides other members provide here in the forum. But for links containing things to download I always search it in Google instead of downloading it directly from the links being provided by members, at least at this way I know that what I am downloading came from the official link of the source website.

Is there a need for that? I don't see any point of having another device because you are too afraid of visiting links being shown in the forum. For one just by clicking links directly won't  get you in trouble for anything it's what you download from it that's what gets you so having a good anti-virus as well as a anti-spyware software is a good trick to protect your pc from any kind of trojan and malware.