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File opened "x minutes ago" when I didn't open it?
I was looking for a file I'd accessed on my phone, but was having a struggle seeing files based on how recently I'd accessed them so I tried on the web client instead
I was shocked to see various flags of files being opened within the last hour that I hadn't accessed! I checked the files and they were only shared/accessable to me, not to anyone else..
I quickly changed my password and removed a slew of older devices I'd used to access Dropbox.
The next morning (now) I've opened the web client again, and more random files that aren't shared with anyone else are still showing as being accessed seemingly "on their own"
Can someone shed some light on this behaviour?
30 Replies
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Yes please
I just experienced the same issue as these users. Can someone from Dropbox please get in touch to look into this for me?
- Jay
Dropbox Community Moderator
Hi jhardy2025, what device are you using and could you attach a screenshot showing the information you're describing?
It's a Macbook.
Attaching a screenshot of my file list will publish at least the names of my files, I'm not inclined to do that.
Here is what happened: I opened my recent items folder on Finder on the Macbook to find that 10 MS Word documents in my dropbox folder on the computer had been opened around the same time a day earlier. It was not me and no one else had access to the computer. None of the files had been modified, only opened. I'm trying to determine if I've been hacked, this was the function of third-party app (although no third-party apps have access to my dropbox folder), a function of something that happened on Dropbox, or something else. Please assist if you can.
- Jay
Have you opened Word recently and navigated manually to the Dropbox folder where the app might've scanned for those files?
Do you have any security software running on your machine which could be running scans?
I have gone to the Dropbox folder, although the times when the files were opened was during a period when I was out of the house and away from the computer and the computer was (or should have been) asleep. I don't typically open files from within Word, I open them directly from the Dropbox folder.
As far as security software, nothing I'm aware of. And even if that were the case, it wouldn't explain for me why these particular files and no others (among hundreds of similar ones) were accessed.
- Walter
Thanks for the additional information jhardy2025 - most appreciated.
Can you have a look at your events page and/or check the files' version history and let me know what you find?
Do you see any 'unknown' devices or web sessions on your Security page by any chance?
I did look at the security page and didn't see any unrecognized or unknown devices there.
I also looked at the events page. There were no events listed for the files that said they were opened in my local dropbox folder.
