How secure are file requests?

[Robea]

Hi, I have been asked to judge a photocompetition. It is national (UK) and means I need to find a way of allowing people to post the photos to me. I am thinking of creating a file on my Dropbox for this and then will need to publish a file request link in the club magazine so people can post. There could be a couple of hundred photos.. I am little concerned about the security of this. Could someone send a photo with malware and, by accepting the post, I will infect my computer? If my computer will be secure then fine, if not any other suggestions would be appreciated. I do have antivirus software running on my iMac.  thanks

[Jay · Accepted solution]

Hi @Robea, thanks for posting on the Community!

File requests allow any user to upload a file to your Dropbox account, and isn’t restricted by file type.

It is possible for files infected with viruses to be uploaded to your account, which would then sync to your machine. Generally, viruses only activate if the file is opened, however there have been cases when this isn’t necessary.

Another possibility, if you’re expecting many images and uploads, is that it could reach your daily bandwidth limit, which would temporarily prevent any further uploads.

Hope this helps to clarify matters!

[Robea]

Thank you very much for this guidance. I think I will take it to heart and not use the Dropbox account for this purpose and feel much reassured that I have done the right thing.  Emails, here I come!..  Thanks  

[Jay]

I understand how you feel, it's always better to check now than do it first without knowing this.

The file request feature is useful when you're sharing it to small number of trusted individuals (such as students in a class), but when you open up the link to many unknown individuals, then the chance for irrelevant and potentially dangerous data increases, not to mention the possible sharing ban on your account.

Enjoy the remainder of your week!