Some Dropbox users noted that some files they had deleted a long time ago on the cloud storage service had been resurrected. Dropbox has admitted that this was caused by a bug that prevented files from being completely removed from its servers. While trying to fix the bug, Dropbox accidentally restored the deleted files to user accounts.
As reported by The Register, Dropbox users raised the issue on the company’s support forum. Some users said files they had deleted (some were removed a couple of years ago), reappearing in their Dropbox accounts.
A Dropbox representative later stepped in to explain what had happened:
A bug was preventing some files and folders from being fully deleted off of our servers, even after users had deleted them from their Dropbox accounts. While fixing the bug, we inadvertently restored the impacted files and folders to those users’ accounts. This was our mistake; it wasn’t due to a third party and you weren’t hacked.
So… How long does Dropbox keep deleted files?
“Typically, we permanently remove files and folders from our servers within 60 days of a user deleting them. However, the deleted files and folders impacted by this bug had metadata inconsistencies. So we quarantined and excluded them from the permanent deletion process until the metadata could be fixed. During this time no one had access to your files or folders and none of your other files were affected.
Dropbox said the metadata bug has been fixed but some users said they were still experiencing issues. Are you a Dropbox user that has been affected by the bug? Let us know in the comments.
Comments
One response to “Dropbox Accidentally Resurrected Files That Were Deleted Ages Ago”
Glad your information is safe in the cloud.