Request specialist opinion: how do you know if a website is dangerous?

[teramangala]

Hi,

A prospect sent me his Website (www. xyz .us) to see his products related to one of my gig, but my browser (Chrome) refuses to open it because it is an http and not an https.

There is a risk, Chrome told me.

How do I know if it is safe for me to open this site? (so far I haven’t opened).

In addition, the guy tells me that he is in the USA while his profile says that he is on another continent

Thank you

[imagination7413]

If you’re getting a bad feeling about it, don’t.

If you want to pursue, ask for an alternative method of showing you, such as screenshots. If they refuse, that’s seems like a red flag to me.

[visualstudios]

No site is “inherently dangerous”. Your computer is not going to explode by going to any website. Even if it’s a scammer, doesn’t matter. Just go to the website and see what it is. It is totally safe.

What is not safe is allowing applets to run on sites you don’t know, inputing your info into any website you don’t know, or downloading and running stuff from websites you don’t know. Oh, and also using windows / android (half joking, but had to throw that jab in there). In terms of visiting a website, without user action, nothing bad will happen. Even if you visit a scam website.

Browsers have started to throw those annoying warnings because users are mostly stupid. So those that aren’t, need to be treated like they are, apparently. Fiverr does the same, btw - I’ve gotten a message on Fiverr multiple times saying “attachments couldn’t be scanned for viruses, etc.” End result? Doesn’t let me download them all at once, forcing me to spend my time downloading the files one by one. I didn’t ask Fiverr to check the attachments for viruses, nor do I want them to - I trust my system more than I trust theirs anyway. But hey, users are mostly stupid, so we need to put up with bs.

It’s that damn child proof medicine bottle caps bs all over again.

[psykkopatte]

I simply don’t open any link not starting by https://

[visualstudios]

I simply don’t open any link not starting by https://

Why? My website is http, because I ain’t paying the host for adding an extra s on there. Stop being paranoid. No website can do anything unless you allow it to, http or https.

[psykkopatte]

Why? My website is http, because I ain’t paying the host for adding an extra s on there. Stop being paranoid. No website can do anything unless you allow it to, http or https.

Stop being paranoid.

Well, it rarelly happen when someone sent a link that is not youtube or twitch, but, you know, virus, trojan, ransomware, I have trust problems 😃

[visualstudios]

Stop being paranoid.

Well, it rarelly happen when someone sent a link that is not youtube or twitch, but, you know, virus, trojan, ransomware, I have trust problems 😃

What virus? Don’t download things from sites you don’t trust. Opening the site itself does nothing. If the website downloads stuff automatically, just delete it. Done.

You’re not going to a http bank website and input your information there, that would be stupid. But just opening the site does nothing.

Example - http://www.museudearteantiga.pt

Says it’s a “non safe website”. It’s a site for a museum run by the Portuguese government. Do you really think it will infect you in some way? Lmao.

[smashradio]

It basically means that the site isn’t encrypted. This doesn’t mean the site is dangerous in and of itself - it just means that any information you send or receive can be read by others. For example, your bank would use https to encrypt the information so hackers can’t pick up your sensitive data.

Most websites does this today, and it’s very rare to see a http site these days, simply because Google hate websites with no encryption.

But a https does not make the site less or more “dangerous” on it’s own. That depends on the content. But if the site asks you to input information (usernames, passwords, upload files, credit card info etc) and it’s not https, I would stay far away from it.

[smashradio]

Why? My website is http, because I ain’t paying the host for adding an extra s on there. Stop being paranoid. No website can do anything unless you allow it to, http or https.

If you’re not aware of it already, Google punishes websites that’s not on https with lower rankings, and Google Chrome will warn visitors about it. So be aware of that if you have a website on http: it’s no longer considered best practice.

Most good hosts today will offer free SSL certificates and https included. If your host don’t offer that, you should change to someone else. Just a quick tip 🙂

[moditha_damindu]

If you think something is off well my dear friend your gut is right sometimes we feel some odds because something is wrong in your case I am going to go with your gut.

check whether that site has HTTPS: and S means Secure .

[visualstudios]

If you’re not aware of it already, Google punishes websites that’s not on https with lower rankings, and Google Chrome will warn visitors about it. So be aware of that if you have a website on http: it’s no longer considered best practice.

Most good hosts today will offer free SSL certificates and https included. If your host don’t offer that, you should change to someone else. Just a quick tip 🙂

Yeah, I’m aware. It doesn’t really apply to me because I don’t expect any organic traffic, or to show up in search results at all (unfortunately microsoft had the genius idea of offering an IDE with a very similar name to mine lmao). I just use it as a branding element to seal the deal with leads I acquire directly, send them there just to look professional. It’s more like a portfolio element, I don’t use it for lead acquisition.

[smashradio]

Yeah, I’m aware. It doesn’t really apply to me because I don’t expect any organic traffic, or to show up in search results at all (unfortunately microsoft had the genius idea of offering an IDE with a very similar name to mine lmao). I just use it as a branding element to seal the deal with leads I acquire directly, send them there just to look professional. It’s more like a portfolio element, I don’t use it for lead acquisition.

I see! Still gives off a better impression to have the little padlock and no warnings about the security on-site though. I have never paid for SSL certificates in my life; they are free from Let’s Encrypt, and most proper hosts offer that included and integrated with the push of a button.

It was different back in the day. I remember when some of my clients (I used to be a web designer before I decided to fire all my clients and do something else) had to pay 1000 bucks for an SSL certificate from Norton.

These days it’s free and easy, thanks to Google being so strict about it.

[visualstudios]

I see! Still gives off a better impression to have the little padlock and no warnings about the security on-site though. I have never paid for SSL certificates in my life; they are free from Let’s Encrypt, and most proper hosts offer that included and integrated with the push of a button.

It was different back in the day. I remember when some of my clients (I used to be a web designer before I decided to fire all my clients and do something else) had to pay 1000 bucks for an SSL certificate from Norton.

These days it’s free and easy, thanks to Google being so strict about it.

True, true. The thing is, people I send there are already interested, it’s just to showcase. I could send them to my Fiverr profile instead, but that is usually bad because:

1. Fiverr has a bad reputation
2. It shows prices, which is a huge no-no for me. Pricing depends on the client, I don’t want to have fixed prices on display.

[smashradio]

True, true. The thing is, people I send there are already interested, it’s just to showcase. I could send them to my Fiverr profile instead, but that is usually bad because:

1. Fiverr has a bad reputation
2. It shows prices, which is a huge no-no for me. Pricing depends on the client, I don’t want to have fixed prices on display.

I do something similar with my voice over work, but SSL was the first thing I installed. I saw no reason not to, since it’s free and easy.

I actually like fixed prices. It’s one of my selling points: the customer knows what they get without having to spend time asking me for a quote. As a client, I hate having to fill out a form to “receive a quote”, unless it’s for a big project.

I found that, except one of my blog posts that I wrote just to be number one in Google for some relevant keywords, my pricing page is the first thing people click on. But I’m sure that’s different in your industry. Video editing is a very different niche, and probably requires you to take a closer look at every project before providing a price.

[visualstudios]

I do something similar with my voice over work, but SSL was the first thing I installed. I saw no reason not to, since it’s free and easy.

I actually like fixed prices. It’s one of my selling points: the customer knows what they get without having to spend time asking me for a quote. As a client, I hate having to fill out a form to “receive a quote”, unless it’s for a big project.

I found that, except one of my blog posts that I wrote just to be number one in Google for some relevant keywords, my pricing page is the first thing people click on. But I’m sure that’s different in your industry. Video editing is a very different niche, and probably requires you to take a closer look at every project before providing a price.

Yeah, in video fixed prices are basically impossible, unless you are offering an extremely strict and repeatable service. Not to mention that the value will vary from client to client, but that applies to everything. A v/o artist shouldn’t charge the same for a commercial for a small town coffeeshop or to be the voice of a coca-cola ad, even if the work (number of hours) is exactly the same, because the potential profit for the company on those ads is vastly different. That’s why fixed prices don’t work imo. Full rate = fool’s rate, it’s leaving money on the table. The more money the client will make with the product, the more they have to pay. I think about pricing as % of final value to the client, not as a fixed value. The % can be the same, the value will be wildly different.

[smashradio]

Yeah, in video fixed prices are basically impossible, unless you are offering an extremely strict and repeatable service. Not to mention that the value will vary from client to client, but that applies to everything. A v/o artist shouldn’t charge the same for a commercial for a small town coffeeshop or to be the voice of a coca-cola ad, even if the work (number of hours) is exactly the same, because the potential profit for the company on those ads is vastly different. That’s why fixed prices don’t work imo. Full rate = fool’s rate, it’s leaving money on the table. The more money the client will make with the product, the more they have to pay. I think about pricing as % of final value to the client, not as a fixed value. The % can be the same, the value will be wildly different.

That’s why we have broadcast and commercial rights. Broadcast rates often apply to projects like you mention - a tv ad for instance, and increases the rate of the project.

Outside of Fiverr I charge higher rates for broadcast, in order to keep my offer here exclusive.

You’re absolutely right when it comes to pricing. The value of a project depends on the client. I recently said no thanks to a project because they thought 300 bucks were too expensive. I pointed out that they need to sell 5 units to earn that back, and anything they sell after that is value their product gains from using my voice.

But I still prefer to have fixed rates. It makes things easier - but it doesn’t mean the rate is the same for everyone. Using my voice in a tv ad costs more than using it for an explainer video and so on.

[visualstudios]

That’s why we have broadcast and commercial rights. Broadcast rates often apply to projects like you mention - a tv ad for instance, and increases the rate of the project.

Outside of Fiverr I charge higher rates for broadcast, in order to keep my offer here exclusive.

You’re absolutely right when it comes to pricing. The value of a project depends on the client. I recently said no thanks to a project because they thought 300 bucks were too expensive. I pointed out that they need to sell 5 units to earn that back, and anything they sell after that is value their product gains from using my voice.

But I still prefer to have fixed rates. It makes things easier - but it doesn’t mean the rate is the same for everyone. Using my voice in a tv ad costs more than using it for an explainer video and so on.

I get it, and that’s the difference in fields. Voice over is a much more straightforward service than video, less moving parts. You see the number of words, that gives you a pretty accurate idea of how long it takes you to record it. In video, a 30 second video can take a month to do, and an hour long video can take 15 minutes. It’s impossible to do fixed prices.