Stolen mac time-machine disks. What does "localdomain" mean in 'connected devices' list?

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.

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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.

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

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.

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

@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.

Hi Mark

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

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

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.

@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.

Thanks @Mark

this thread is getting complex as my earlier one seems to be mixed into it.

you wrote:

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

BUT there was never a Mac on my account with that name - which is why I suspect it's someone else.

I still can't find out what ".localdomain" versus "local" means in that Dropbox devices list, my own Macs are listed as local, but the one I don't know was listed as 'chrisopersMBP4.localdomain'

Any chance this could get escalated to official support please? Unfortunately, I only use a free plan as I don't use Dropbox much

thanks for trying,

I just can't grasp why a Mac name would appear, which I never owned and never set up

This is pretty serious because IF someone else was logged in (I believe they could get the Dropbox password from browser saved log ins) then I really am in trouble.

here's the screenshot again

Dropbox connected devices Christopher 9-56am saturday.jpeg

Neil

@Mark

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

yes, that was my fear.

i feel that the .localdomain part of "ChristopersMBP4.localdomain" MIGHT be a clue to the device location.

Still can't find out what that means.

anyhoo I now have DFA and new passwords but its not a good sign for the data in my local dropbox folder (in the time machine backups)

thanks N

[split from another topic and moved here]

@Rich Massive thanks for the help. This upgrade option is all about me connecting to Dropbox email support (following a data breach) which I can't do unless I am a paid subscriber, do you know if there's maybe any way to have a one off paid support event perhaps?

As you're a superuser maybe you know the answer to this or know how to find out

PLEASE ;~}

In Dropbox security my connected macs are listed as 'xxxx.local' (see screenshot)

After the breach, a mac appeared with the name "ChrstohersMBP4.localdomain.

I'm trying to find out what ".localdomain" means as against ".local" in that context and google is just confusing me.

basically - where was that extra Mac connecting from? - what qualifies as .localdomain?

I know local means my home network

Dropbox connected devices Christopher 9-56am saturday.jpeg

thanks so much

Rich

@neilBar wrote:
i feel that the .localdomain part of "ChristopersMBP4.localdomain" MIGHT be a clue to the device location.

It's not. The .local and .localdomain just refer to a local computer network. They have nothing to do with location.

You won't be able to determine the exact location of that device with the information available to you through Dropbox (even if you opened a support case). The closest you'll get is the location that you see listed in your screenshot, which is based only on the geolocation of the IP address, and that location would just be the address listed on the IP registration, which would be the data center or HQ of the ISP that owns the IP address. For instance, the location that Dropbox has listed for the device I'm typing this on is a city more than 45 minutes away.

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 thanks so much for responding, I really appreciate it

- I did remove the unknown machine as soon as I saw it, but that was sometime after the theft

- and of course I've changed all my important passwords. and cancelled credit cards.

Sadly, the fact that unknown machine was connected to Dropbox (and I never had a computer with that name) suggests the thieves did clone my Mac, which is awfully unfortunate. I'd never looked at the security pane/connections before but that computer names definitely not mine

Could it POSSIBLY be a name from a used Mac Mini I have here, it appears as Neils-mini.local now and I'd not changed its name - I called it that from day 1?

I've had a problem with Apple ID too - I saw an unknown machine in "find my mac" - I'm pretty scared!

Now I have to deal with it

As you are Dropbox staff, might I please ask whether, should I need it, there's possibility of paid support events for basic Dropbox customers?

I pretty much retired, so every subscription is hard to pay for me.

OR, if not, might you please confirm that if I did upgrade to Pro for a month to get support I could revert to basic and keep the 6.5 GB I earned by referring friends?

thanks lots for the help

Did you check the IP address before you removed the device from your account? It's possible that it could be from a machine you owned, as you mentioned.

Currently, there are no options for paid support for Basic users. If you upgrade to a paid plan, and then downgrade later, you'll keep the referral quota on your account.

@Jay thanks so much, I understand about paid support and appreciate the advice that I'd retain my quota - I guess it's perhaps not going to help me any further on this event to contact support, sadly.

Unless they could look at the connected device history perhaps? Is that feasible?

Unfortunately, I panicked and removed the device before I read up the support info and realised I should have clicked on the "i"

thanks for helping Jay, I really appreciate it

have a good week

Neil

As the device is no longer connected, it wouldn't be possible to locate any information on the device, unfortunately.