Link analysis is the process of examining relationships between URLs, accounts, domains, or other online identifiers to discover patterns that are not obvious from any single item alone. Security teams use it to map infrastructure, identify shared hosting, find repeated registration details, and spot coordinated behavior across many small assets.
In cyber security, link analysis matters because many threats are distributed rather than concentrated. A phishing campaign may use dozens of domains, while extremist or fraud networks may reuse the same redirects, usernames, or posting patterns across multiple sites. Defenders can use these connections to prioritize takedowns, cluster related activity, and detect reappearances after removal. Attackers also use fragmented infrastructure to hide control and make disruption harder, so link analysis helps reveal the wider campaign behind isolated pages or accounts.