https://www.howtogeek.com/google-link-shortener-breaking
Google used to run one of the most popular link shortening services, allowing people to create
smaller links and track clicks. Now, though, Google is fully killing off its link shortener, and all
the shortened links it generated.
Starting next month, people clicking on goo.gl links will likely see a warning page before being
redirected to their desired website. This marks the beginning of the end for Google's URL shortener
service, which will be completely shut down by August 2025. Google originally discontinued goo.gl
for new users back in 2018, but existing shortened links remained functional. However, the company
has now decided to fully retire the service and kill off all of the shortened links it generated.
https://www.howtogeek.com/google-link-shortener-breaking2025. Google originally discontinued goo.gl for new users back in 2018, but existing shortened links remained functional. However, the company has now decided to fully retire the service and kill off all of the shortened links it generated.
Google used to run one of the most popular link shortening services, allowing people to create smaller links and track clicks. Now, though, Google is fully killing off its link shortener, and all the shortened links it generated.
Starting next month, people clicking on goo.gl links will likely see a warning page before being redirected to their desired website. This marks the beginning of the end for Google's URL shortener service, which will be completely shut down by August
For example, Microsoft adds their Safe
Links, part of their Advanced Threat Protection (ATP), to their e-mail services (Hotmail, Outlook.com, Live.com). When an e-mail goes into
your MS e-mail account, Microsoft modifies hyperlinks in the e-mail to
point to MS servers. When clicking on the modified hyperlink, the
connection first goes to Microsoft who checks if the link points to a malicious destination.
VanguardLH wrote:
For example, Microsoft adds their Safe
Links, part of their Advanced Threat Protection (ATP), to their e-mail
services (Hotmail, Outlook.com, Live.com). When an e-mail goes into
your MS e-mail account, Microsoft modifies hyperlinks in the e-mail to
point to MS servers. When clicking on the modified hyperlink, the
connection first goes to Microsoft who checks if the link points to a
malicious destination.
That is not happening here.
I checked my outlook.com email in Thunderbird. The links are _NOT_
modified to point to MS servers.
Just in case the above was only for webmail, I logged on to outlook.com webmail checked there too. The links are also _NOT_ modified there.
At some previous ${DAYJOB}s, links in emails to my ${COMPANY} email
address have been modified similar to this. I presume that is a service ${COMPANY} paid for. And ${COMPANY}'s risk should the modified links
go AWOL.
Ralph Fox <-rf-nz-@-.invalid> wrote:
VanguardLH wrote:
For example, Microsoft adds their Safe
Links, part of their Advanced Threat Protection (ATP), to their e-mail
services (Hotmail, Outlook.com, Live.com). When an e-mail goes into
your MS e-mail account, Microsoft modifies hyperlinks in the e-mail to
point to MS servers. When clicking on the modified hyperlink, the
connection first goes to Microsoft who checks if the link points to a
malicious destination.
That is not happening here.
I checked my outlook.com email in Thunderbird. The links are _NOT_
modified to point to MS servers.
Just in case the above was only for webmail, I logged on to outlook.com
webmail checked there too. The links are also _NOT_ modified there.
At some previous ${DAYJOB}s, links in emails to my ${COMPANY} email
address have been modified similar to this. I presume that is a service
${COMPANY} paid for. And ${COMPANY}'s risk should the modified links
go AWOL.
No, not a paid-for service. Microsoft implemented their ATP function on their e-mail service of which Safe Links was a component. Do you use a corporate, paid, or school account at Microsoft for e-mail? Those
provide a server-side admin option to enable/disable Safe Links. Free accounts don't get the option.
After discovering the Safe Links redirection that MS foisted upon me,
and because there was no server-side account option to disable it for a
free Hotmail account (nor for my separate Outlook.com account), all I
could do was report the issue using the feedback form in their webmail client. I selected to let me contact me regarding the feedback. In
about a week (actually I didn't expect a response, so was pleasantly surprised they responded to it), they said they disabled Safe Links in
my MS account noting the enable/disable option is not available in the server-side settings, and feedback was the only way to change the
setting.
Since it is deemed time-of-click protection (obviously the redirection doesn't happen until you click on the hyperlink), and often mentions it
as part of a Defender feature, maybe MS afflicted only Windows users.
When viewing an e-mail, you have to look at its raw source to see the
HTML code to see to where the <A> actually points, not what an e-mail
client may present as a hint for a hyperlink.
Most ATP articles refer to it (now) as Office 365
Advanced Threat Protection. For example, see:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/advanced-outlook-com-security-for-microsoft-365-subscribers-882d2243-eab9-4545-a58a-b36fee4a46e2
So, maybe it's just the MS 365 users that get screwed
https://www.howtogeek.com/google-link-shortener-breaking
Google used to run one of the most popular link shortening services, allowing people to create
smaller links and track clicks. Now, though, Google is fully killing off its link shortener, and all
the shortened links it generated.
VanguardLH wrote:
Microsoft launched ATP back in 2015...<snip> it is possible that it
was during MS 365 (then MS Office) subscription that ATP was deployed
onto my MS account. Most ATP articles refer to it (now) as Office 365
Advanced Threat Protection. For example, see:
Correct, it did not exist in M365 Home/Personal prior.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/advanced-outlook-com-security-for-microsoft-365-subscribers-882d2243-eab9-4545-a58a-b36fee4a46e2
So, maybe it's just the MS 365 users that get screwed; however, I
don't recall there was a server-side enable/disable setting in my MS
account while I had the MS 365 subscription, and why I got stuck
having to use feedback (which had to use their webmail's feedback
process, not the feedback in the MS Outlook local client).
Also correct, never was a server-side enable/disable setting in the
web UI.
Also, for M365 Personal/Family the Feedback is not a feature.
Since all M365 is subscription based(i.e a MSFT Account)
- mutliple choices for Feedaback
1. Use the Feedback option in the M365 email addy in the outlook.com UI.
2. Use the Feedback option in the Win8/10/11 mail app
3. Use Microsoft Feedback Portal
4. Use the feedback option in the iOs/Android app
Finally, as Ralph noted.
Links do not get modified.
Not to be confused with emails(including listservers) where a clickable
link prefixes with safelink protection which is ATP.
e.g.
https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=<snipped, the url not important, just the prefix as an example>
Note: ATP only applies in Outlook(365) for outlook.com type accounts(outlook/live/hotmail/msn.com) - i.e. Outlook.com web server
based accounts.
VanguardLH wrote:
Big Al <alan@invalid.com> wrote:
https://www.howtogeek.com/google-link-shortener-breaking
I'm sure there are lots of other redirection services employed under the
claim of convenience or protection, but they all can suffer link rot,
and have privacy issues. And some redirection services are covert: you
may not know they are employed in your communications.
Link rot and disappearing short-link providers has been the norm for
some time.
Not to be confused with online cloud services that provide a link to a
web stored file.
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