This article is part of my Cybersecurity Hygiene Series - I recommend reading the background information about the series first to understand how these tips are structured. See this post: Cyber Security Hygiene.
I Received an Unexpected Link!
Let's assume for a moment you have received a message. Perhaps it was an email, but it might have been a text (SMS) message or something on Signal or WhatsApp or some other chat platform. The message has a link in it, something sounding urgent (or perhaps not) but it has a link to click (or touch) either important or urgent or enticing... so what now...
What should I do now?
Almost NEVER click a link from a message.
Remember SAPP? now is the time to do it. Ask yourself, were you expecting this link? Do you even need to click/touch it?
Use some other means to confirm if it really is urgent, you could reach out to the person that sent the link (if applicable) or instead of clicking on the link visit the site using your bookmarks and check the notifications there (this is always the best way for links like your bank). Yes, this takes some time, but it is much safer. If it is just particularly interesting, can you access this information from some other means - always preference your own bookmarks over a transmitted link?
Is there any time I should click?
Generally if you just requested a link, or were specifically expecting this to come from the source then it is relatively safe to use the link. Example of this are a friend you are speaking with tells you they will send you a link to something and you receive it moments later, or if you request access to a resource and the link arrives moments later.