Obfuscated Links

Obfuscated links are URLs that have been modified to hide the actual location of a website. They are a type of attack used in phishing to trick users into clicking on a link to a spoof website. The goal is to get users to share personal information like login credentials.

Here are some ways obfuscated links can be used:

Urgent emails: Cybercriminals may send an email that appears to come from a legitimate source and include an obfuscated link.

Shortened URLs: A shortened URL like Bit.ly may lead to a Google search result or someone's profile.

URL encoding: A link in Google search results may be converted using URL encoding.

Obfuscated links can also be used for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) to hide a link from search engines while still making it usable for humans. However, this practice is not approved by Google and can cause accessibility issues.