Domains vs. Subdomains
🔒 Recognizing Phishing Links: A Security Guide
1. Understanding Domains vs Subdomains
Domain: The main website address
Example:
This is the actual company website.
Example:
zoom.usThis is the actual company website.
Subdomain: A prefix before the main domain
Example:
Still legitimate - "support" is the subdomain of zoom.us
Example:
support.zoom.usStill legitimate - "support" is the subdomain of zoom.us
⚠️ Phishing Trick:
This looks like Zoom, but the real domain is "fake-site.com"
"zoom.us" is just part of the subdomain to trick you!
zoom.us.fake-site.comThis looks like Zoom, but the real domain is "fake-site.com"
"zoom.us" is just part of the subdomain to trick you!
💡 Key Rule: Read domains from RIGHT to LEFT. The actual domain is right before the first single slash (/) or the last part before .com/.org/.net
2. Hidden vs Visible Links
Links can display one thing but actually go somewhere else:
What you see: Click here to reset your Zoom password
Where it really goes: Hover over this link (don't click!) to see the real destination in the bottom corner of your browser.
Where it really goes: Hover over this link (don't click!) to see the real destination in the bottom corner of your browser.
Legitimate link: https://zoom.us
The visible text matches the actual destination.
The visible text matches the actual destination.
3. How to Check Links Before Clicking
On Desktop:
- Hover your mouse over the link (don't click!)
- Look at the bottom-left corner of your browser
- The real URL will appear there
- Press and hold the link
- A preview will show the actual URL
- Check it carefully before proceeding
- Right-click the link and select "Copy link address"
- Paste it into a notepad to examine it safely
4. Practice Examples
Try hovering over these links to see where they really go:
Example 1: www.zoom.us/login
❌ The text says "zoom.us" but the real link goes to "phishing-example.com"
❌ The text says "zoom.us" but the real link goes to "phishing-example.com"
Example 2: Verify your Zoom account
❌ Real domain is "account-verify.net" - zoom.us is just a subdomain trick!
❌ Real domain is "account-verify.net" - zoom.us is just a subdomain trick!
Example 3: https://support.zoom.us
✅ This is legitimate - "support" is a real Zoom subdomain
✅ This is legitimate - "support" is a real Zoom subdomain
5. Red Flags to Watch For
- Urgent language ("Act now!" "Account will be closed!")
- Misspellings in the domain (zoomm.com, zo0m.com)
- Unusual domain extensions (.xyz, .tk, .ml)
- Extra words after the real company name (zoom-security.com)
- Links that don't match the sender's email domain
✅ Remember
- Always hover before clicking
- Read domains right to left
- When in doubt, go directly to the website by typing the address yourself
- Report suspicious emails to IT security