Link Expiration Time Setting Guide: When and How to Set It?

Bakit Link Expiration Time is Important

Permanent links are convenient, but from a security perspective, they're like time bombs.

Risks of Links Without Expiration

Scenario 1: Former Employee

January 2023: Shared FTP info with freelance developer
December 2023: Freelance contract ended
June 2024: The link is still valid

The freelancer can still access it anytime and could even share the link with others.

Scenario 2: Lost Device

9:00 AM: Sent admin password link to colleague
10:00 AM: Colleague checked the link
3:00 PM: Colleague lost their phone
7:00 PM: Finder checks messenger history

If the link hasn't expired, the finder can also access it.

Scenario 3: Messenger Hack

When Slack account gets hacked
All chat history from the past 6 months exposed
Including all unexpired secret links

Optimal Expiration Times by Scenario

1. Urgent Information Sharing (1-6 hours)

Use Cases:

• Temporary passwords needed for the day
• Emergency meeting materials
• Coupons/codes for today's use

Configuration:

Link: https://meeting.zoom.us/j/123456789
Password: meeting2024!
Memo: Meeting link for today at 3 PM
Expiration: After 6 hours
Access limit: No limit

Why This Works:

• Information only needed for the day
• Becomes meaningless the next day
• Auto-deletion reduces management burden

2. Work Collaboration (24 hours)

Use Cases:

• Development server access info
• Project temporary accounts
• Shared drive links

Configuration:

Information:
- FTP Host: ftp.example.com
- Username: client_temp
- Password: TempP@ss2024
Memo: FTP for uploading project files
Expiration: After 24 hours
Access limit: 3 times

Why This Works:

• Considers working hours (today + tomorrow morning)
• Provides sufficient time
• Doesn't remain valid through the weekend

3. Weekly Projects (3-7 days)

Use Cases:

• 1-week project materials
• Short-term test accounts
• Event administrator privileges

Configuration:

Information: WordPress admin access
- URL: example.com/wp-admin
- ID: event_manager
- PW: Event2024!Temp
Memo: For event page management (1/20-1/26)
Expiration: After 7 days
Access limit: No limit

Why This Works:

• Matches project duration
• Minimizes re-sharing requests
• Auto-expires when project ends

4. Long-term Collaboration (Within 30 days)

Use Cases:

• Monthly projects
• External vendor collaboration
• Long-term tester accounts

Configuration:

Information: API documentation and test keys
Memo: API access info for February project
Expiration: After 30 days
Access limit: No limit
Start time: 2024-02-01 00:00

Why This Works:

• Monthly management cycle
• Forces monthly key renewal
• Establishes security review period

Options to Set Along with Expiration Time

1. Access Count Limit

One-time password:

Expiration: 1 hour
Access limit: 1 time
Purpose: Very important one-time information

Expires immediately after first access, making it unusable even within the time limit.

Small team sharing:

Expiration: 24 hours
Access limit: 5 times
Purpose: Information sharing for teams of 5 or fewer

Auto-expires when all 5 members have checked it.

2. Start Time Setting

Future schedule:

Start time: 2024-02-01 09:00
Expiration: 24 hours after start
Purpose: Information valid from specific date

Night work:

Start time: Today 22:00
Expiration: 8 hours after start (next day 6:00 AM)
Purpose: Emergency night work access info

3. Memo Usage

Specifying expiration time in the memo makes it easier for recipients to understand:

Memo:
⏰ Expiration: January 21, 2024 at 6 PM
📌 Purpose: Project A development server access
⚠️ Note: Only accessible once, so save the info separately

Practical Scenario Guides

Scenario 1: New Developer Onboarding

Day 1 (First day):

Information: Company Wi-Fi, Slack invite link
Expiration: 24 hours
Access: No limit

Week 1 (First week):

Information: Development server access info
Expiration: 7 days
Access: No limit
Memo: Temporary use until official account creation

Month 1 (First month):

Information: Test DB access permission
Expiration: 30 days
Access: No limit
Memo: Will be reissued after probation period

Scenario 2: Client Collaboration

Project start:

Information: Project Notion page
Expiration: 90 days
Access: No limit
Start: Contract start date

Mid-point check:

Information: Beta version access info
Expiration: 7 days
Access: 5 times (5 team members)

Final delivery:

Information: Production admin account
Expiration: 30 days
Memo: Switch to client's own account after 30 days

Scenario 3: Emergency Situations

Server failure recovery:

Information: Emergency SSH access info
Expiration: 3 hours
Access: 1 time
Memo: Password will be changed immediately after recovery

Early morning deployment:

Information: Production deployment commands
Expiration: 6 hours
Start: Today 23:00
Access: 2 times (person in charge + backup)

Reissuing Expired Links vs Creating New Links

Kailan Reissuing is Needed

• Recipient didn't check within the period
• Wrong expiration time was set
• Project period extended

Solution:

Create a new link with longer expiration time
Or change to "no access limit"

Kailan New Links Should Be Created for Security

• When previous link is suspected to be leaked
• After password change
• When permission level changes

Advantages of Auto-Expiration

1. Reduced Management Burden

Automatically handled without manual deletion.

2. Prevents Forgetting

No more "I'll delete it later" and forgetting about it.

3. Enhanced Security

Expired links are inaccessible, eliminating long-term exposure risks.

4. Compliance

Many security policies require "temporary accounts expire within 30 days."

Checklist

Pre-creation checks

• ✅ How long should the information remain valid?
• ✅ Who and how many need to access?
• ✅ One-time use or repeated use?
• ✅ Should it be activated from a specific time?

Expiration time setting principles

• ✅ Set only the minimum required time
• ✅ Consider working hours (exclude weekends, etc.)
• ✅ Consider recipient's timezone (for international collaboration)
• ✅ Specify expiration time in memo

Security checks

• ✅ Limit very important info to 1-6 hours
• ✅ Use together with access count limit
• ✅ Send link and password separately
• ✅ Reset critical info after expiration

Konklusyon

Proper expiration time setting balances security and convenience.

LOCK.PUB's auto-expiration features:

• ⏰ Freely set from 1 hour to 90 days
• 🎯 Auto-expire at specific date/time
• 🔄 Can combine with start time
• 🔒 Use together with access count

"Set it and forget it" - automatically handled securely.

Create time-limited link now →