As an MSP owner, I’ve investigated enough security incidents to tell you this:
Most data leaks don’t begin with hackers. They usually start when someone shares a link.
Not ransomware.
Not zero-days.
Not nation-state actors.
It’s just a link that someone shared because it was the easiest option.
The Most Common Leak We See
It usually goes like this:
- A user needs to share a file quickly
- They click “Anyone with the link.”
- No expiration
- No password
- No tracking
The work gets done. Everyone moves on.
Weeks later, that same link:
- Gets forwarded
- Indexed
- Accessed by someone who was never meant to see it
And now it’s a data exposure incident.
Why Sharing Links Is a Silent Risk
Sharing links feels harmless because:
- They don’t ask for credentials
- There’s no login prompt
- Nothing looks suspicious
That’s exactly where the risk comes in.
Once a public link exists:
- You can’t control who has it
- You can’t see where it travels
- You can’t recall it easily if it spreads
In many breaches we respond to, there’s no malware involved at all.
Just uncontrolled access.
What SMBs Get Wrong About Sharing
Most small and mid-sized businesses believe:
- “We trust our staff.”
- “It’s only internal documents.”
- “We’ll clean it up later.”
Attackers rely on those assumptions.
They don’t need to break in at all.
They wait for over-shared access.
How MSPs Should Be Framing This
This isn’t about blocking productivity.
It’s about safe defaults.
What we recommend to clients:
- Disable anonymous sharing by default
- Force expiration on external links
- Require sign-in for shared files
- Audit existing shared links regularly
- Train users that sharing = publishing
If a file can be accessed without identity verification, it’s already halfway out the door.
The MSP Reality Check
When a data leak happens, clients don’t ask:
“Why did someone share the link?”
They ask:
“Why wasn’t this prevented?”
That’s why sharing controls aren’t a nice-to-have anymore.
They’re part of your baseline security posture.
Final Thought
If you still see file sharing as just a convenience and not a security boundary, you’re quietly leaving the door open.
Because in 2026,
data leaks don’t start with hacks.
They start with links.