MENU
What happens when a user clicks a rewritten URL that TAP URL Defense has determined to be malicious?
Proofpoint TAP URL Defense rewrites URLs to route clicks through Proofpoint's time-of-click analysis service. If the destination is determined malicious at click time, the user is presented with a block/warning page and access is denied (A). This is a core containment mechanism because URL reputation can change after delivery: a link that looked benign during initial scanning may become weaponized later (compromised site, delayed redirect, newly hosted phishing kit). The warning page both prevents compromise and provides user feedback that a threat was intercepted. For IR responders, this behavior is also valuable telemetry: TAP records click events, verdicts, and whether clicks were blocked or permitted, which drives scoping and prioritization (Impacted users vs At Risk). In recovery, blocked clicks reduce the likelihood that credential resets or endpoint remediation are needed, but analysts still validate whether any earlier clicks occurred before condemnation, whether users accessed the URL outside protected paths (copy/paste, mobile clients), and whether campaign-wide remediation (blocklisting domains, pulling emails) is necessary to prevent repeat attempts.