So What is a URL?

Websites do not actually have “names”. They are referred to by numbers;, for example, is the address of Amazon.  →

Instead of having to remember all these numbers to navigate the internet, they get a nickname each. A Uniform Resource Locator.

In the picture above is a breakdown for a typical URL, and here are the main parts of it, and what you should be looking for.

  1. Protocol:
  2. If it were HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) that would mean the text is transferred as it is, and everyone who cares enough to “listen” on the network can read what you send and receive. Definitely no credit card numbers nor usernames and passwords should be entered on a page that starts with HTTP.

    HTTPS, however, means that the transfer is secured; as in encrypted. A lot safer than the http, but by no means fool proof. You still need to be careful not to send sensitive information through public networks (Airport WIFI, Starbucks, hotels…) even if they were secured.


  3. Hostname:
  4. This is the “name” of the company, or organization. If you see LinkedIn sending you an email from North Royalton City’s Hostname, you know it’s Phishing!


  5. Subdomain:
  6. This is a file inside a folder, I can say. is still a section of, and if you receive an email that contains subdomains simply go to the very last value before the Top-Level-Domain (before the .com or .org etc.). What is the last thing? That’s who’s calling.

    Example1: is an email coming from, and not from!

    Example2: is coming from .

4. Root Domain:

This is the folder that contains all files in that website. is part of

5. Top-Level Domain:

They are sometimes referred to as extensions. They exist by the hundreds. So make sure you are receiving the email from, instead of or or some other extension.

6. Path:

This is the direction you will follow after you reach that website you are being directed to. As it looks in that image, the link will be directing us to the blog on a website, instead of the login page for example.

7. Parameter and Value:

this would be the specific page on that blog.

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A Warning Call

Those are fraudulent phone calls, are aiming at stealing your personal information, hoping to either use it in their malicious / criminal activity or sell it on the dark web for other cyber criminals to do so.

Users always need to stay alert and not enter any personal information on the sites they find fishy and should use a reliable security solution to remain safe.

But the best treatment remains prevention; learn how to read a URL and never click the wrong link again here on DIS Blog.

Contact DIS for a free network assessment with full documentation of our findings! Call us at 440.838.4111 or email us at

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