Hi malware fighters,
At a certain moment polonus thought that in-browser-link-scanning would enhance the user's security online. Some forms of link scanning can be, but others are just adding to a false sense of security.
One should discriminate between the real time link scanning, the almost real-time link scanning, and the so-called reputation scanners (just for a general orientation, not protecting much).
We see a lot of websites reported where avast does not want to go, because there is malicious content found, obfuscated java-script, Iframe hacks, etc. and then when you check up for instance with DrWeb's av-link-checker it gives an all green, because the re-directs have not been taken into consideration.
WOT scanner has results that could be half an hour old, and in half an hour a lot of respectable sites can be hacked, so not completely reliable there, finjan is real-life, but also not full-proof as none of these link scanners is, the Singapore built Online Link Scan does not find all, Exploit Prevention Lab's LinkScanner is better, and Norton Safe Web Online Scanner has a lot of omissions in their database. Netcraft anti-phishing toolbar is also a reputation tool with a poor interface, but gives you full information on the host and you can compare the actual url you are at (Local IP add-on).
More security, translate full security, you get when you block the possibility of the code the malicious site has, by using the NoScript extension or not going to allow request of sub-domains or other domains your browser is visiting (RequestPolicy).
Really folks, the WWW has been turned into a dangerous place. We have to wait for solutions that really help to cut off the possibilities of the malcreants, so a dedicated server that knows what a browser expects of it, and a dedicated browsers signalling what it suspects the server to allow (CSP implementation), but there we have to wait until those that run the servers (third party dependent), and those that run the browsers are both security aware, and that may still be a long time off. Do we still have time?
polonus