Google’s New Search Redirects Make It Harder to Check Where Links Lead Before Clicking
Malwarebytes reports Google's new encoded google.com/goto?url= redirects break hover-preview link checking, weakening a common phishing defense.
Google now routes some search results through opaque google.com/goto?url= redirects using custom encoding, so browser link previews no longer reveal the true destination, only the claimed label above the result. Malwarebytes found the final destination is visible only in the redirect response's Location header, complicating hover-based safety checks as well as scraping, archiving, and audit tools. The change arrives amid malvertising, search-result poisoning, and fake installer campaigns like the recent Node.js infostealer lure. Google says it deploys measures against evolving abuse but did not explain the change.
- Encoded google.com/goto?url= redirects hide final destinations from hover previews
- Destination only visible via redirect response Location header
- Weakens standard advice for spotting phishing and fake download pages
- Also impacts scrapers, archiving, accessibility, and rank-tracking tools
From the original article
3 min read at cybersecuritynews.com
Google is changing how some search-result links behave. Certain results now pass through an encoded Google redirect rather than opening the listed site, making a browser’s link preview less useful as a quick safety check. The change comes as malicious advertising, search-result poisoning, and lookalike download pages keep turning ordinary searches into routes for scams […]
By Tushar Subhra Dutta · cybersecuritynews.com
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