Discord will switch to temporary file links to prevent malware distribution
Discord, the popular communication platform, has announced it will transition to temporary file links for all users by the end of this year. The move is designed to prevent attackers from leveraging its content delivery network (CDN) to host and distribute malware.
Discord assures users that this change will not impact content sharing within the platform. Links within the client will be automatically refreshed. However, links shared outside of Discord will cease to function a day after they are regenerated.
Users affected by this change have been advised that they still have time to transition to a new service before the changes are implemented later this year. Discord has also indicated that developers may experience a “minimal impact” due to these changes. Further information for developers will be released in the coming weeks.
The decision to switch to temporary file links is a significant step in Discord's efforts to curb the use of its platform for the distribution of malware. This change could potentially put a halt to such activities.
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External links
- Discord will switch to temporary file links to block malware deliveryBleepingComputer
- Discord file links will expire after a day to fight malwareThe Verge
- Discord file links are now only valid for 24 hoursAndroid Headlines
- Discord makes file links temporary to fight abusegHacks
- Discord Tightens Security with Temporary File LinksBitdefender
- Discord Will Switch To Temporary File Links To Fight MalwareTechWorm
Comments
It's an understandable move. Discord is a "victim" of being used in ways it's not designed for, like being used as a permanent file host, among other things (Some people use it as wiki/docs - seriously?).
Unfortunately, this could put an end to Discord's unique aspect of being able to share images & videos quickly across servers within Discord itself by sharing the same discordcdn links. They will soon need to save the media first, then reupload it (which ironically could cost them more resources than people copy/pasting discordcdn links)
I hope they realize this. It's not really clear whether "content sharing within the platform" includes copy/pasting discordcdn links, which doesn't seem like a way Discord intended users to share content, since it's not an explicitly marked function and people discovered this themselves.
Surprised this took them so long. This method isn't unheard of: Facebook/Meta sites and others have implemented expiring links ages ago.
Meanwhile, you can just remove the key after the ? in Discord links and it works inside Discord, what about it ?
The key is basically a preparation for now. After they've fully rolled out this new policy, removing keys after ? will render the link broken with no file served - same as with if the keys are invalid of have expired.