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Forum Discussion
dreemsnake
7 years agoNew member | Level 2
Antivirus detected malware in the Dropbox cache folder
I don't know if this is the right category. Also, I tried searching here for a solution first, but the posts were all locked.
I just started using Dropbox. I don't have many files in it. Sin...
- 7 years ago
Hey there Loni H. - sorry to jump in on this, my colleague Sanchez is out of office currently on a vacation leave. However, I'll be happy to help in the meantime.
In regards to what you mentioned now, kindly note that the Dropbox desktop client uses the ".dropbox.cache" folder as a staging area to download your files in small chunks during the syncing process.
Sometimes antivirus programs will pick up some of these partial files as false positives and continuously quarantine them. The problem here is that Dropbox keeps downloading the file in an attempt to sync the file down to your computer. To tackle this behavior you can either add the Dropbox cache folder to an ignore list so that Dropbox can correctly sync that file or/and as Sanchez has mentioned before me, temporarily disable your antivirus. Once synced and "Up to date", you should no longer see these warnings or quarantine messages.
Hopefully this will get you going Loni. Let me know if you need anything else in the meantime. Thank you!
Sanchez
Dropbox Staff
Hey dreemsnake, welcome to our community!
When you run a full and thorough system scan, does this malware show up anyplace else?
Did you know that you don’t have to wait for the cache to be cleaned automatically… you can manually clear the cache folder anytime :wink:
What I would do is to Exit Dropbox (click on system tray icon, gear icon, Exit Dropbox), clear the cache, and run a full scan. Find and remove the offending file, and then start our desktop app up. If the malware comes back, then it may be that the infected file has synced to your online Dropbox.
What I would do is to Exit Dropbox (click on system tray icon, gear icon, Exit Dropbox), clear the cache, and run a full scan. Find and remove the offending file, and then start our desktop app up. If the malware comes back, then it may be that the infected file has synced to your online Dropbox.
Have a look, and let me know. Keep in mind that our team can assist with rolling back your entire account up to 30 days (for most account types).
Out of curiosity, what antivirus program are you using?
Cheers
Loni H.
7 years agoNew member | Level 2
If you don't fix this problem of my work computer keep finding malware in dropbox, I should stop using dropbox.
Sanchez
- Walter7 years agoDropbox Staff
Hey there Loni H. - sorry to jump in on this, my colleague Sanchez is out of office currently on a vacation leave. However, I'll be happy to help in the meantime.
In regards to what you mentioned now, kindly note that the Dropbox desktop client uses the ".dropbox.cache" folder as a staging area to download your files in small chunks during the syncing process.
Sometimes antivirus programs will pick up some of these partial files as false positives and continuously quarantine them. The problem here is that Dropbox keeps downloading the file in an attempt to sync the file down to your computer. To tackle this behavior you can either add the Dropbox cache folder to an ignore list so that Dropbox can correctly sync that file or/and as Sanchez has mentioned before me, temporarily disable your antivirus. Once synced and "Up to date", you should no longer see these warnings or quarantine messages.
Hopefully this will get you going Loni. Let me know if you need anything else in the meantime. Thank you!
- pchidley6276 years agoExplorer | Level 4
Had the same problem. Popping up on all my machines.
Finally an answer that makes sense.
THANKS Walter!!!!- HiroMarketing6 years agoNew member | Level 2
Hello, I'm having the same issue. My windows defender keeps marking a file as extremely dangerous virus. which is coming from the cache folder.
One of your solutions is to tell the Anti-Virus to ignore the dropbox folder; I would do this.. HOWEVER; does Dropbox have their own anti-virus solution on their servers.. because potentially this will allow any potential viruses to freely enter our computer without being detected.
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