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compromised? stolen mac timemachine disk - what does "localdomain" mean in 'connected devices' list?

compromised? stolen mac timemachine disk - what does "localdomain" mean in 'connected devices' list?

neilBar
Helpful | Level 5
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Hi

I'm bit worried, my mac time machine discs were stolen last week (unencrypted) so I changed my dropbox password (and many others)

10 am this morning, I was prompted to check the devices connected in my dropbox/security because re-logging in means I reached the 3 device limit. I saw a mac I didn’t recognise 

 

"ChristopersMBP4.localdomain" is nothing to do with me. I did already change my dropbox password yesterday after the disc was stolen.

I normally have a Mac mIni connected which was not listed, so maybe this is an error. 

However - the list did state "localdomain" I dont know how that differs from ".local" within dropbox

- googling's not helping me

also - my wifi password was changed earlier this morning. 

I immediately clicked the bin in dropbox/security to disconnect "ChristopersMBP4.localdomain". 

My Mini was restarting at the time, when it was done I was asked to log into dropbox. 

Now the mini is connected as: "neils-mini.local"  

not ".localdomain"

does anyone know what this.localdomain" means please? Am I in trouble?

 

Heres a screenshot with the spurious connected mac.

Screenshot 2023-09-16 at 09.56.00.jpg

 

thanks so much

Neil

1 Accepted Solution

Accepted Solutions

Jay
Dropbox Staff
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Hi @neilBar, the names don't really mean much, since this is the name pulled from the device itself when first making the connection to the Dropbox server. 

 

If you hover over the i icon, you can see the IP address of the device itself. If it matches one of your own, then it could be another device you have on your premises, or immediately location.

 

If you don't recognize the device, you can simply remove it from your account. If you're on a paid plan, you can also remotely wipe the Dropbox folder on that device at the same time.


Jay
Community Moderator @ Dropbox
dropbox.com/support


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19 Replies 19

Mark
Super User II
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Hi @neilBar 

If its asked to reconnect after you disconnected it, no, you are not in trouble its the same device connected again, 

 

Note that there is no way anybody could use your Time Machine discs to connect to Dropbox - they would need the actual username and password. 


 


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neilBar
Helpful | Level 5
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Hi Mark

thanks for helping

to clarify - 

the device that was listed as connected was "ChristopersMBP4.localdomain"

I dumped it,

Now the mini is logged in connected as: "neils-mini.local"  

not as ".localdomain"

Doyou still think it’s the same device? why the different name and .local -v- .localdomain?

 

I'd love to know how "localdomain" differs from "local" 

Would "ChristopersMBP4.localdomain" have to be on my network? Other macs here show as just - .local

 

I think they could theoretically log into dropbox because of saved browser passwords - its scaring me that someones in my data

 

thanks lots for the help

 

Mark
Super User II
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The simple answer is 'thats what your Mac was called at that time'. Updating the OS can change that. There is nothing sinister about it. 

 

If they have access to saved browser info then changing will help but you also need to update things like emails etc. Consider 2FA as well.


 


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neilBar
Helpful | Level 5
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Hi Mark

 

thanks

"The simple answer is 'thats what your Mac was called at that time'"

but I never had a mac called: ChristopersMBP4 its lookin glike it was someone else in my Dropbox

 

and I'd still like to know why it was labelled "localdomain" wheras my others are "local"

 

yeah I'm doing 2FA where its available

 

good of you to help

neil

Mark
Super User II
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@neilBar wrote:

Hi Mark

and I'd still like to know why it was labelled "localdomain" wheras my others are "local"

Because thats what your Mac was called at the time you installed it. 


 


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neilBar
Helpful | Level 5
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Hi Mark

 

thanks for trying but my mac was never called ChristopersMBP4, there's no Christopher in my family

neilBar
Helpful | Level 5
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Hi, I have suffered a data breach, some backup disks were stolen.

I spotted a Mac I don't recognize connected to my Dropbox account in: Dropbox settings/security/devices.

 

I believe that the thieves COULD have cloned my Mac using my Time Machine backups to restore a machine, that way they'd have my browser saved passwords. So before I changed the passwords they COULD have accessed my dropbox acct online.

My own connected Macs are listed there as "XXX.local", but this one was listed as "ChristopersMBP4.localdomain".

There's no Christopher here, No Mac here was never named that way.

I am finding it hard to understand what " localdomain" -v - "local" means in this context - if anyone knows I'd be very grateful.

 

Here's a screenshot when it was connected, I binned it immediately.

All my own macs are connected now - as XXX.local

Dropbox connected devices Christopher.jpeg

 

thanks

 

Mark
Super User II
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Hi @neilBar 

 

As I said on the other thread there is no difference at all other than what the device itself is called. The names are just pulled direct from what Apple has named the machine. There is nothing more than this. There is no complicated naming convention other than pulling what the device, in System Admin, is called. 


 


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Mark
Super User II
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@neilBar wrote:

Hi Mark

 

thanks for trying but my mac was never called ChristopersMBP4, there's no Christopher in my family


In that case your account has possibly been compromised and set up as a new user (from the stolen drives?). 

 

The names on the screen are simply what the user account/devices are set up as.


 


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