Whether you’re using Box, SharePoint, or Microsoft Teams, collaborating on a document with coworkers is often as simple as sharing a link. However, this convenience can have steep cybersecurity consequences. 

Most file collaboration tools will give you several options when you choose to share something. You can give access to:

• Specific individuals

• People in your company

• People with the link

The most secure option is to share the link with specific, named individuals. But what if you don’t know everyone who will need to have access to the file? To save yourself the headache of needing to go back in and add each new person, you choose to share a link so that anyone in the organization can view it.

This seems like a good idea – you’re not making the link available to the public, right? – except the “anyone” you’re sharing with includes nearly 100,000 people, including students. As Microsoft Copilot increases AI integrations with applications like SharePoint, the sharing of confidential information in this way can pose a real security risk.

We all need to collaborate responsibly to avoid sharing data with unintended audiences.

File Sharing Precautions 

• Use these best practices when sharing a link from Box

• Use these best practices when sharing to external uses from SharePoint

• Share only as necessary

• Double-check the link’s sharing settings

  • Setting Box collaboration permissions 

  • Sharing files in Box 

• Exercise caution when working with confidential information

• When sharing files with confidential information, use Cornell Secure File Transfer whenever possible. 

When you share a link so that “anyone in the organization can view it,” it’s possible that someone you don’t know could accidentally view it. But when you take precautions to collaborate responsibly, you can protect your data from getting into the wrong hands.