What is Secure Link ?

Secure Link is a proprietary technology by Mailinblack that analyses the link at the time of click by the user. The user is warned if the link turns out to be dangerous.   

What are the prerequisites to implement Secure Link?  

• The e-mail address must be protected 

• Secure Link must be activated: for the user, for everyone, or a group.  

What kind of email does Secure Link protect?   

• Any valid email: it can be valid on its own or have been retrieved from quarantine.  
• Any email that contains a link 

How does Secure Link work in practice?   

Any link that’s included in any valid e-mail is rewritten by Secure Link. The goal is to check the original link as the user clicks on the link that’s been rewritten. 

Secure Link then queries the system to find out whether the original link is a dangerous one. 

And if we went even further on? 

An e-mail with a link is sent; as it passes through Mailinblack’s verification, the link is rewritten to point towards Mailinblack’s own system, through a series of letters and numbers, and then, it’s released. Rewriting the original link is the key to allow for the link to be analyzed.  

When the user clicks on the link, a query is sent to Secure Link, which in turn can query its analysis system, hosted on a dedicated server.  

At this point, the browser shows an intermediary page, serving as lobby, while the system scans the link

As the scan is over, the system sends Secure Link an answer, so that Secure Link can properly direct the user.  

What are the possible outcomes? 

• If the link is not considered dangerous, the user will be redirected to the desired website.  

• The link may not be verified; two possible reasons:  
• The system encounters an unavailability that makes it impossible to verify the link.

• There was an error in the rewriting of the link, so the analysis becomes impossible.  

• If the link is considered dangerous, the user will be alerted of the potential danger through a dedicated page, recommending them not to continue browsing.  

Is the link accessible, nonetheless?  

If the user wishes to continue browsing to the potentially dangerous website, despite being made aware of the risks involved, they can do so, by clicking on “Details”, then “I wish to proceed to this site”.  

Proceeding to links that could not be analyzed works in the same way; the user simply has to tick the “I understand” checkbox and then click on “Continue browsing”.  

What are the reasons for a site to be blocked?   

• The website has been identified as spreading malware.  

These sites may contain viruses, worms, spyware or trojan horses, which can damage data and equipment.  

• The website has been identified as a phishing site. 

These sites lure visitors into revealing personal information, often without them knowing.  

• The website has been identified as spreading spam.  

These sites retain visitors’ data and email addresses to send them unwanted emails at a later time.  

• The website has been identified as distributing potentially unwanted programs.  

These applications have components or behaviors that are often considered undesirable, such as, installing a new search bar or other unwanted tools.