diff --git a/apps/meteor/client/lib/e2ee/rocketchat.e2e.ts b/apps/meteor/client/lib/e2ee/rocketchat.e2e.ts
index 5e04134ed5065..bd008b86a887a 100644
--- a/apps/meteor/client/lib/e2ee/rocketchat.e2e.ts
+++ b/apps/meteor/client/lib/e2ee/rocketchat.e2e.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,3 @@
-import QueryString from 'querystring';
-import URL from 'url';
-
 import type { IE2EEMessage, IMessage, IRoom, IUser, IUploadWithUser, Serialized, IE2EEPinnedMessage } from '@rocket.chat/core-typings';
 import { isE2EEMessage, isEncryptedMessageContent } from '@rocket.chat/core-typings';
 import { Emitter } from '@rocket.chat/emitter';
@@ -731,15 +728,18 @@ class E2E extends Emitter {
 					return;
 				}
 
-				const urlObj = URL.parse(url);
-				// if the URL doesn't have query params (doesn't reference message) skip
-				if (!urlObj.query) {
+				// URLs come from regex-matched message content, so they may be malformed; skip those instead of throwing
+				let urlObj: URL;
+				try {
+					urlObj = new URL(url);
+				} catch (error) {
 					return;
 				}
 
-				const { msg: msgId } = QueryString.parse(urlObj.query);
+				const [msgId, ...extraMsgIds] = urlObj.searchParams.getAll('msg');
 
-				if (!msgId || Array.isArray(msgId)) {
+				// skip if the msg param is missing, empty, or duplicated
+				if (!msgId || extraMsgIds.length) {
 					return;
 				}
 
diff --git a/apps/meteor/imports/client/hepburn b/apps/meteor/imports/client/hepburn
deleted file mode 120000
index f439383d3132e..0000000000000
--- a/apps/meteor/imports/client/hepburn
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-../../node_modules/hepburn
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/apps/meteor/imports/client/limax b/apps/meteor/imports/client/limax
deleted file mode 120000
index 4407cb1ffef0b..0000000000000
--- a/apps/meteor/imports/client/limax
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-../../node_modules/limax
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/apps/meteor/imports/client/map-age-cleaner b/apps/meteor/imports/client/map-age-cleaner
deleted file mode 120000
index 50bce06f634f8..0000000000000
--- a/apps/meteor/imports/client/map-age-cleaner
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-../../node_modules/map-age-cleaner
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/apps/meteor/imports/client/mem b/apps/meteor/imports/client/mem
deleted file mode 120000
index b6dfce3fa0c6b..0000000000000
--- a/apps/meteor/imports/client/mem
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-../../node_modules/mem
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/apps/meteor/imports/client/mimic-fn/index.js b/apps/meteor/imports/client/mimic-fn/index.js
deleted file mode 120000
index 3e62681b7465e..0000000000000
--- a/apps/meteor/imports/client/mimic-fn/index.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-../../../node_modules/mem/node_modules/mimic-fn/index.js
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/apps/meteor/imports/client/p-defer b/apps/meteor/imports/client/p-defer
deleted file mode 120000
index f68aea0461afc..0000000000000
--- a/apps/meteor/imports/client/p-defer
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-../../node_modules/p-defer
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/apps/meteor/imports/client/poly1305-js b/apps/meteor/imports/client/poly1305-js
deleted file mode 120000
index b7d35ec5ea8ae..0000000000000
--- a/apps/meteor/imports/client/poly1305-js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-../../node_modules/poly1305-js
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/apps/meteor/imports/client/query-string b/apps/meteor/imports/client/query-string
deleted file mode 120000
index 3d5529bafa0b8..0000000000000
--- a/apps/meteor/imports/client/query-string
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-../../node_modules/query-string/
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/apps/meteor/imports/client/scheduler b/apps/meteor/imports/client/scheduler
deleted file mode 120000
index d6ef6285d8c08..0000000000000
--- a/apps/meteor/imports/client/scheduler
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-../../node_modules/scheduler/
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/apps/meteor/imports/client/sodium-native b/apps/meteor/imports/client/sodium-native
deleted file mode 120000
index 31ec3807c5331..0000000000000
--- a/apps/meteor/imports/client/sodium-native
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-../../node_modules/sodium-native
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/apps/meteor/imports/client/sodium-plus b/apps/meteor/imports/client/sodium-plus
deleted file mode 120000
index e22307d4690fd..0000000000000
--- a/apps/meteor/imports/client/sodium-plus
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-../../node_modules/sodium-plus
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/apps/meteor/imports/client/split-on-first b/apps/meteor/imports/client/split-on-first
deleted file mode 120000
index ac3c776940471..0000000000000
--- a/apps/meteor/imports/client/split-on-first
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-../../node_modules/split-on-first/
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/apps/meteor/imports/client/strict-uri-encode b/apps/meteor/imports/client/strict-uri-encode
deleted file mode 120000
index 77c01a2aedbbd..0000000000000
--- a/apps/meteor/imports/client/strict-uri-encode
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-../../node_modules/strict-uri-encode/
\ No newline at end of file