How can I prevent someone from deleting my Dropbox files, If my device is hacked?

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zaboykie wrote:

It would seem that unlinking from Dropbox would be the best answer, then I can relink on a daily basis to update my recent files, after which disconnect again.

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This is just asking for problems. Dropbox is meant to be kept running. Not constantly disconnected and reconnected. Each time you do this Dropbox will need to re-index your files; a process that can take hours or sometimes even days depending on how much data you have.

I think this entire idea is an overreaction to something that possibly could but likely won't ever happen. And even if it a did, if your laptop is secured then it wouldn't be a problem even if it did happen, other than the loss of the computer itself.

If this is that big of a concern, securing your device will do you much better than worrying about Dropbox. Make sure you're using good security on the device itself. Biometrics, a security key, etc., for signing in. That alone would stop anyone from signing in as you and running the Dropbox application. Using BitLocker or an equivalent to encrypt your drive will make it so the drive can't be accessed directly, which prevents anyone from accessing the files in your Dropbox folder.

And failing all that, if your files were deleted from Dropbox, you have 30 or 180 days (depending on your plan) to recover them. Add that to your external drive and you're probably protected more than most people, unfortunately.

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I am already using a separate hard drive, but backing up to it is a pain, as I can't find software that will only update changed and new files ...

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Are you on Windows? If so, look for Microsoft's SyncToy. It was discontinued a couple of years ago but there are still downloads available out there.