Link wrapping is the practice of placing an intermediary URL in front of a final destination link. A user clicks the wrapper first, then the wrapper redirects the browser to the intended page. Wrappers are common in tracking systems, email gateways, ad platforms, and content delivery setups because they can log clicks, apply policy checks, or normalize destinations.
In cyber security, link wrapping matters because it changes how trust is judged. A visible URL may no longer reveal the true destination, which can weaken pre-click inspection and make phishing detection harder. Attackers can use similar redirect chains to hide malicious domains, while defenders use wrappers to scan or block risky links before the browser reaches them. Large-scale scraping tools may also be disrupted by extra hops, because each redirect adds friction and can obscure direct URL harvesting.