The address bar of a browser is that space, placed at the top of the window, which is used to enter the internet address of the site you want to visit.
Here is that of the All about e-mail site referring to Google’s Chrome browser.
address bar of the Chrome browser
But even the address bar of Firefox or Safari or Opera do not differ much and always show the exact address of the site.
address bar of the Safari browser
What you see – www.tuttosullapostaelettronica.it – is an internet address or, in more technical jargon, URL ( Uniform Resource Locator ). So if someone asks you for a site’s URL, they are just asking for their internet address.
If you don’t know, I suggest you also read the article that explains in detail what an internet domain is .
Suppose you want to visit the post office website; you can proceed in different ways by writing in the address bar of your browser
- http://www.poste.it
- poste.it
- it
- poste
In the first three cases you will go directly to the post office website because you will have written the address exactly. In the latter case, as soon as you send, the classic Google search will appear which will show you the post office website in first place; click on it and visit it.
Note that if by chance you have already visited the site, your browser will offer you exactly that in the suggestions while you are writing it, so you can do it faster without having to write it all over again.
ADDRESS BAR AND GOOGLE SEARCH BAR
I have noticed that very often people confuse two things that are different and have two different tasks. The browser’s address bar is one thing and the Google search bar is a completely different thing and they have two completely different purposes.
Address bar and Google search bar
The confusion arises from the dual purpose of the address bar. If you enter a complete url like www.apple.it go to that site but if you only enter the term like apple , you are taken to the Google search results page.
See also Suspicious payment
The google search bar instead always and only does a search and even if you enter a complete address like www.apple.com a search is performed and you don’t go to that site.
So remember that
- if you know the address of a site you must enter it completely in the address bar of the browser
- if you are looking for a site you must instead use the Google search bar or alternatively you can also write it in the address bar and send.
Visit a site safely
Writing the site address in the browser’s address bar is the safest way to go to your bank’s site, for example.
If you don’t follow any link but directly write the address, you are sure of what you are doing and you will go to the correct site, otherwise, if you follow a link that has arrived by email, you risk ending up on a phishing site that will seem to you the correct one but which, in reality, will only be a facade to steal your access data.
Note that in the address bar it is not necessary to write the full URL of http: // or https: // but just write the domain – ex. google.com or apple.it or poste.it – to be brought directly to the site. This obviously if you already know it but if you don’t know it, make sure you are on the right site maybe doing a search on Google to confirm it.
For example, the Post Office website is poste.it , not poste.eu or poste-italiane.com or such changes. If you are faced with something similar and in any case different from poste.it , surely you ended up on a phishing site. All these subtleties are explained in detail in the article that explains what a domain is .
I also recommend reading the post that explains in detail what a bowser is .
Also read Store Apps – a new way to steal your credit card information
The address bar of a browser is the part that is considered least when browsing and that is why people fall for phishing. The navigator thinks he is on the post office site or a bank and does not realize that the site URL has nothing to do with the post office or the bank, and precisely this element allows phishers to complete their criminal design.
If you do not pay attention to the URL of the site you are browsing, you are a perfect candidate for one of the next phishing that is getting thinner just to make you fall into their trap.
In a time when phishing continues to increase and becomes more and more subtle and dangerous, it is essential to always pay close attention and the browser’s address bar is always there, it is always in sight and it takes you two seconds to check it when you are on a site and you have suspicions, so invest these two seconds of your time because it could avoid months of hassle in every sense.
