•
Yes, it's THAT book!

Drop your email here to stay informed of the status of my "tell most" book about the National Security Agency:

--OR--

Read a little about the book here:

Employees are allies, not the adversary

--OR--

Check out the Kickstarter here (click)
How can I help you?
Contact Jeremy
Recommendations

Here's something that

I, Jeremy Duffy, actually recommend and think is worth checking out.
No web-bugs, no bs, just a legit recommmendation that I have personally evaluated before allowing it to be listed here:

Think something's here that shouldn't be? contact me!

Long URL Please – Firefox Plugin for Link Safety

Sunday, March 6th, 2011 (No comments yet)

If you didn't know, because of Twitter and other social sites with space restrictions on posts, there are new "url shortening" services out there like "tinyurl" that instead of showing you something like this:

http://lifehacker.com/5234539/long-url-please-replaces-shortened-links-with-the-real-thing

Shows you something like this instead http://tinyurl.com/cblos7

The advantage is that you save valuable space on your tweets or blog posts, but the disadvantage is that you have no idea where you're really going. Considering that sometimes the only thing that keeps you from getting hacked is NOT going to bad websites, these shortening services present an enormous risk to your computer security.

However, if you go to the Lifehacker article linked above, you'll find an article that describes a plugin for Firefox that will replace the shortened URL with the full one (providing several different options for how they are displayed.

A side by side comparison of a typical string of tweets (short urls included) and what they look like after being expanded

To get the plugin, follow the link from the Lifehacker article, or just click here to go directly to the plugin's page.

Alternatives

If you aren't using Firefox or can't install the plugin for some reason, most shortening services have a preview function that allows you to see the URL you're going to before actually going there. To activate the preview feature, do the following:

Tinyurl: Prefix with "preview"
From – http://tinyurl.com/cblos7
To – http://preview.tinyurl.com/cblos7

Is.gd: Suffix with a dash
From – http://is.gd/3KvWm
To – http://is.gd/3KvWm-

Bit.ly: Suffix with + (not an official preview funciton, but does show title and URL anyway)
From – http://bit.ly/info/aq44T
To – http://bit.ly/info/aq44T+

Cli.gs: Not currently possible
Snipurl: Not currently possible

firefox Tutorial
prev: TACO|INDEX|next: Noscript

Firefox Plugins

Improve your security and reduce the annoyance factor of the Internet at the same time by blocking Internet ads.
Block marketers from tracking your online activities with the Targeted Advertising Cookie Opt-out plugin.
Undo the great risk of following 'shortened links' from social network sites with the Long URL Please Plugin.
Disable all Internet scripts for nearly rock-solid security online
Enable HTTPS everywhere that it's possible to do so with this simple plugin.
Remove annoying tables, graphics, or anything else to make reading easier and printing cleaner.
The Onion Router (TOR) helps you browse the web without giving away your identity to the websites you visit.

Share This

Have a Comment or Question?

Loading...

If you want to learn more about my professional background, click here to learn more.

Check out one of my guides/tutorials:

computer security Tutorial
|INDEX|next: Spyware Scanners

Security Software

Make sure you have a up-to-date Anti-Virus Program to protect you against bad websites or files.
Sometimes spyware gets in your computer and the anti-virus won't stop it. Use a spyware scanner to find and remove spyware and adware.
Use a software firewall to detect bad code on your computer when it tries to connect to the Internet.
Always keep your system up to date with security patches or none of the rest of your security software will matter.
Use an encryption tool to protect your important data when storing or transmitting it.
Switch to Firefox for your web browsing and you'll be better protected from Internet threats.

Safe Computing Practices

Don't get tricked by fake alerts or clever webpages into downloading viruses or spyware!

... or check out any of my other guides and tutorials by clicking here!

Adblock Plus - Firefox Ad Blocker

With a simple Firefox plugin, you can block all those annoying ads you see all over the Internet.

[Click for full description]

BEEF TACO (Targeted Advertising Cookie Opt-Out)

TACO will automatically set and protect the cookies that opt you out of online tracking by marketers.

[Click for full description]

Long URL Please - Firefox Plugin for Link Safety

Undo the danger of "URL shortening services" by adding this cool plugin to Firefox. Optionally learn the tricks to preview URLs before visiting if you don't use Firefox.

[Click for full description]

Noscript

Use Noscript to block scripts on every site except the ones you actually trust.

[Click for full description]

HTTPS Everywhere

Web companies sacrifice your security for their wallets by leaving HTTPS protection off. Use this plugin to turn it back on by default (where available).

[Click for full description]

Nuke Anything - Stop Wasting Ink By Printing Stuff You Don't Want

With a simple Firefox plugin, you can remove any object from a webpage that you can see. This can make the pages easier to read, but also save money when printing.

[Click for full description]

The Onion Router (TOR)

Using the TOR network, you can prevent websites from knowing who you are.

[Click for full description]

Anti-Virus

A virus can come from files, e-mails, web pages, or even devices you plug in (like thumbdrives or printers) and destroy your files or your computer once they get in. An anti-virus is software designed to detect and prevent that from happening.

[Click for full description]

Spyware Scanners

Learn how to detect and remove spyware and adware using a free scanning tool.

[Click for full description]

Software Firewall

Learn what a firewall is and why you want one on your computer.

[Click for full description]

Operating System Updates

Make sure to keep your operating system up-to-date with security patches or else none of the rest of your security software will be able to protect you.

[Click for full description]

File Encryption

Learn how to protect your important files on your computer or when transmitting them with free tools for file encryption.

[Click for full description]

Mozilla Firefox - Internet Browser

There are many browser choices out there. Read why I think Firefox is one of the best.

[Click for full description]

Fake Alerts

Maybe you've done everything right and you're computer is sufficiently fortress-like, but then you or someone in your family falls for a simple scam that tricks them into directly installing the bad guy's virus! Learn how to spot and ignore fakes!

[Click for full description]