Free tool to detect poisoned web pages

The popular practice of embedding shortened URL into Twitter tweets, Digg posts and other social networking communications is being threatened by attackers who use the anonymity of these URLs to hide poisoned web pages.

AVG LinkScanner can detect the presence of these poisoned web pages, because it tests the destination of each URL link in real time and does not rely upon blacklists that become outdated as soon as they’re created due to the ever-shifting locations where the bad guys hide.

“The problem with shortened links is that they usually don’t bear any resemblance to the original URLs, which means that users don’t always know what they’re clicking. People click with the intention of going to a specific site, but the link can be easily hacked to send people to a site containing Trojans, spyware, rootkits and other malware instead,” said Roger Thompson, chief research officer at AVG Technologies.