Fail Friday: Autocomplete Facepalm & The Zoom Link That Never Dies

Welcome to our Fail Friday! In Fail Friday, we share anonymized slip-ups from everyday IT—with a wink and a clear lesson learned. Goal: get better together, no finger-pointing.

Fail #1: “Auto-completed… to the wrong person”

What happened:
A colleague sent sensitive quote figures to “Max Mustermann (external)” instead of “Max Mustermann (internal)”. Reason: auto-complete + Enter—and the email was gone. The customer received internal numbers, the team started sweating.

Why it happened:
Haste, similar names in the recipient list, no DLP warning, and no “delay delivery” rule.

Lesson learned (short & practical):

• Check recipients last (To/Cc/Bcc)—only then hit Send.
• Enable “Delay delivery” for 2–3 minutes (Outlook/clients).
• Use DLP/sender warnings: pop-up when external domains are included.
• Maintain contact tags: “(internal)” vs. “(external)” in the display name.

5-minute check:

• Autocomplete: remove outdated/similar entries.
• “Delay delivery” rule active.
• DLP/external warning banners enabled?
• Sensitive attachments: encrypt or use a permissioned link.

Fail #2: “The Zoom link that never dies”

What happened:
A perpetually reused meeting link circulated across the company. Weeks later, a former contractor joined at the wrong time—right in the middle of an internal strategy meeting. Embarrassing, avoidable, but instructive.

Why it happened:
Convenience (“same link forever”), no waiting room, no password, no host-only start, and no expiry rules.

Lesson learned (short & practical):

• One meeting = one link (no “permanent” links for sensitive meetings).
• Enable waiting room & passcode by default; only host can start.
• Restrict participant rights: allow join only with your tenant’s authentication.
• Revoke links: after project end, retract invites and disable guest accounts.

5-minute check:

• Waiting room/passcode: on?
• “Authenticated users only” allowed?
• Remove old recurring meetings & guests?
• Calendar invite not publicly forwarded?

Mini checklist for the week

• Email: Enable delay delivery; turn on external warning banners; clean up autocomplete.
• Meetings: One link per meeting; waiting room + passcode; participants from your tenant only.
• Sharing: Instead of attachments: permissioned link (expiry date, view-only).
• Protect sensitive data: Check email security, DLP policies, and M365/Google sharing policies.

Privacy & respect note

• All stories are anonymized—no identifying people or companies.
• The goal is learning, not blaming: simple rules that help right away.

Conclusion: Small fails happen—the point is to turn them into quick habits: check recipients, delay sending, secure meeting links. That’s how slip-ups become quick wins.