Scan for Malicious Websites/Links With VTChromizer

For most of my computing life, I’ve either used Mac OS X or Linux. As such, I’ve never really been all that concerned with viruses. It’s not that my computer is necessarily so much safer than Windows (at least not now), but that as a Mac or Linux user, my operating systems weren’t targeted very often, compared to Windows, with its massive market share. I used Windows, for about a year, and although I didn’t ever catch a computer virus or other malware, I can attribute that to very safe usage on my part. I was ultra-careful about websites I visited and files I downloaded… it wasn’t a fun way to live!

Now that I’m using Linux full-time, I’m not as careful, although I, of course, should be (as should every computer user). Even though it’s pretty likely my computer is “safe” from catching a computer virus, that doesn’t mean my computer couldn’t act as a “carrier” for a virus and that I couldn’t accidentally pass something along to a Windows user. So I decided to do something about it, and recently installed VTchromizer, an extension for Google Chrome.

VTchromizer is a simple extension. Once installed, it sits in your toolbar, waiting to be used. Using VTchromizer is simple as well… just a couple clicks. When you find yourself on a website you’re concerned about, simply click the icon, then the Scan Current Site link from the pop-up. You’ll be taken to the VirusTotal website, which performs the actual virus scanning. Once at the website, if my experience is indicative, you’ll need to wait a bit in queue before VirusTotal scans the website you were just on. It uses a variety of analysis tools.

For instance, I tested a few different websites and saw that VirusTotal uses scanning utilities from Firefox, G-Data, Google Safebrowsing, Opera, ParetoLogic and Phishtank. Once a URL MD5 has been created (for saving the scanning information in the VirusTotal database), the site is scanned and you are told the results. This is a useful tool when you are concerned about a potentially unsafe website.

You can also enter a hash into the pop-up, if you see a download or link hash on any given page. Similarly, if you’re thinking of downloading a file, simply right-click the file and near the bottom of the pop-up you’ll see an option to Scan With VirusTotal. This is great as it then only scans the link you’re interested in, and not the entire website.

There is also a community review process at VirusTotal, which allows individual users to add their thoughts and experiences to particular websites or files. This is useful if some – but not all – scanners report finding something suspicious. For instance, a particular file might trigger an alert with Firefox or Opera, but none of the other scanners. In this case, the experiences of people who have actually viewed the website or downloaded the file will be valuable.

All in all, VTchromizer is a nice addition for Google Chrome users wanting an on-demand utility to check for suspicious websites and files. It will never replace a running anti-virus utility, but is a nice way to get peace of mind about a website you’re about to visit or a file you’re thinking of downloading. VTchromizer is simple and easy to use, and there is a lot of power (from the VirusTotal website), behind a very simple extension. As I said, it was a nice addition, and something everyone should at least consider installing.

https://chrome.google.com/extensions/detail/efbjojhplkelaegfbieplglfidafgoka


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