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bertonstott's avatar
bertonstott
Explorer | Level 4
7 years ago

I was infected by a Trojan it's synced in Dropbox, too. What should I do?

When I try to open or install DropBox on my Windows laptop, I get an "Infection Blocked" error from Iolo System Mechaninc (My anti-virus program).  The infected object is reported to be C:\PROGRAM ...
Desktop
Setting up the apps
  • Karina's avatar
    Karina
    7 years ago

    Hi again eveyone, and welcome Kaimalino & Sparky15756 - hope y'all are good! 😊
     

    After looking into this a little bit, I’ve found some info that might explain syncing issues and infected files. 
     
    • The Dropbox desktop client uses the ".dropbox.cache" folder as a staging area to download your files in small chunks. Sometimes antivirus programs will pick up these partial files as false positives and continuously quarantine them. 
     
    • The problem is that Dropbox keeps downloading the file in an attempt to sync the file down to your device. So, I’d recommend adding the Dropbox cache folder to an ignore list so that Dropbox can correctly sync that file and/or temporarily disabling your antivirus. 
     
    • Once synced, you should no longer see these warnings or quarantine messages.
     
    Now, for those of you experiencing issues with the install or start up of the application, see if you’re also able to add the cache folder to an ignore list - If you’re still experiencing issues after this, I definitely think it would be best for our specialists to take a closer look, so please log an official request at: www.dropbox.com/support 
     
    From there, feel free to write back with your ticket ID’s and I’ll be happy to search for the cases on our back-end and forward them along. 

    Thanks so much and happy Friday! 
     
    balloon 
Karina's avatar
Karina
Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff

Hi again eveyone, and welcome Kaimalino & Sparky15756 - hope y'all are good! 😊
 

After looking into this a little bit, I’ve found some info that might explain syncing issues and infected files. 
 
  • The Dropbox desktop client uses the ".dropbox.cache" folder as a staging area to download your files in small chunks. Sometimes antivirus programs will pick up these partial files as false positives and continuously quarantine them. 
 
  • The problem is that Dropbox keeps downloading the file in an attempt to sync the file down to your device. So, I’d recommend adding the Dropbox cache folder to an ignore list so that Dropbox can correctly sync that file and/or temporarily disabling your antivirus. 
 
  • Once synced, you should no longer see these warnings or quarantine messages.
 
Now, for those of you experiencing issues with the install or start up of the application, see if you’re also able to add the cache folder to an ignore list - If you’re still experiencing issues after this, I definitely think it would be best for our specialists to take a closer look, so please log an official request at: www.dropbox.com/support 
 
From there, feel free to write back with your ticket ID’s and I’ll be happy to search for the cases on our back-end and forward them along. 

Thanks so much and happy Friday! 
 
balloon 
Loni H.'s avatar
Loni H.
New member | Level 2
7 years ago

I have exactly the same issue with my work computer. I cannot add exception on it. What should I do? Should I request IT people to write exception?

  • Walter's avatar
    Walter
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
    7 years ago

    Hey there again Loni H. - I just got to see this post ( I have already replied to you here). 

     

    Can you share some more information about your current situation so as to see how we could move forward from this point? When you say you cannot add an exception on your work computer, I guess you're referring to the antivirus/security program running on that computer, right? 

     

    If I were in your shoes, I'd give this page a try first. If you still experience issues with this, I would suggest that you reached out to your IT department or your company's network administrator so as not to tamper with something you shouldn't in the first place ( I don't know the specifics of your work environment but you get the drill). 

     

    Let me know what you find!

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