Security when sending email attachments from my library

[lindam8016]

Hi, I have a question about security. I am emailing an attachment which is a Word document from my library. When this person opens the attachment, will they be able to click "file," and then click "open," and view my entire library of Word documents? Thanks!

 

[Ralston18]

If the document is attached to the email as a .doc or .docx then no.

The recipient has only downloaded a copy that he or she then finds and opens on their computer using their Word software.

However, if you provide a link back to the document in your library then you may be vulnerable.

Or if the sent document contains links back to other documents in the library then you would also have some vulnerability.

 

[Avast-Team]

Agreed with Ralston -- I'm assuming you are referring to your OneDrive folder? With OneDrive, your files are stored in the cloud and may be synced to your desktop. If you send an attachment from there, then it should be just an attachment and isn't intended to allow anyone access to your library.

With OneDrive, you can send out sharing links however, and these can require login or even be publicly accessible. If you have a publicly accessible link to a specific file, this should allow access to only *that one file* and not an entire folder or library. However, you can also share folders, so if you decide to do this you would want to make sure you are only sharing the items you want people to view.

In other words, it really depends on how you are sharing your documents and which program/OS you are using.

 

[lindam8016]

Thank you Ralston18 and Avast Team – your information was very helpful! The attachments I sent were one .docx file and several .jpg files or images which I had to scan into my computer and then attach to the email. I am using Office 2010 and Windows 7, 64 bit. I don't have One Drive on this computer, a desktop; however, I do have it on my laptop.