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> On a side note, don't forget the time dropbox accepted ANY password during logins - http://www.cnet.com/news/dropbox-confirms-security-glitch-no-password-requ

by lnrdgmz 10y ago

> On a side note, don't forget the time dropbox accepted ANY password during logins - http://www.cnet.com/news/dropbox-confirms-security-glitch-no-password-required/ http://www.cnet.com/news/dropbox-confirms-security-glitch-no... I've not forgotten, and this glitch has kept me from ever considering opening a Dropbox account. I'm surprised everyone else seems so forgiving of this massive screw up.

odbol_ 10y ago
Haha for me it's the opposite. My password never works in Dropbox. I think it's because they don't support spaces in passwords, but they don't tell you when you change your password. They just accept the change and then you can't login.
- cookiecaper 10y ago
  There are many sites with little exceptions like that. I think that their password filter allows the characters, but their backend input sanitization doesn't, so it cleans it up and inserts a transformed version of the pass without providing notification. I've found this happens particularly often with passwords with symbols like !, #, or ;.
  - zodPod 10y ago
    In general, this is one of the most frustrating things with trying to secure yourself online. I have gone through like "I WANT TO USE PASSPHRASES" then gone to places like PAYPAL and had them have an upper limit on password length. It's absurd that they all have slightly different requirements. I am switching to a password manager now.
  - chebucto 10y ago
    This problem has been noted for some time. Past articles on the subject have shown how the various requirements for passwords come about through a combination of limitations imposed by the system they're being used on, or through misguided attempts at making things easier for users. I wonder if there has ever been an attempt through a forum like RFCs or ISO to define a worldwide (or at least latin char set) standard for password requirements. Based on what i've seen in forums like this, there seems to be fairly broad acceptance that allowing a large number of characters from a character set with as few limitations as possible bests serves the interest of security. The thorniest issue would likely be about balancing requirements for increased complexity (eg capitals and lowercase, numbers, etc) with ease of use.
- turshija 10y ago
  I'm using password with spaces for Dropbox without any problems. Must be something else is an issue at your side... Have you tried resetting it ?
fapjacks 10y ago
Totally. You wanna talk about people forgetting? It seems everyone has totally forgotten (or forgiven) that Dropbox was mentioned specifically in the Snowden leaks as a source.
- ljk 10y ago
  are there better alternatives though?
  - spike021 10y ago
    box.com is pretty good. I've personally used it for several years now and I can't recall the last time there was any real issue with it, usability or security-wise.
  - Rumudiez 10y ago
    "Better" is subjective. I consider Google Drive much better, personally. Alternatives, though? Plenty: Google Drive, Box, OneDrive, iCloud Backup and iCloud Drive.. the list goes on with a simple Google search for "online storage"
    - elliotec 10y ago
      Does google drive work the same way as Dropbox? Cross platform, acts as a folder in your home dir, selective sync, etc? Seriously ready to move on from Dropbox and my google fiber account comes with a free terabyte of google drive.
      - uiri 10y ago
        I've never set it up but I believe that you can get it to work the same way. Install the desktop application: https://support.google.com/drive/answer/2374987 https://support.google.com/drive/answer/2374987 Change sync settings: https://support.google.com/drive/answer/2375083 https://support.google.com/drive/answer/2375083
      - tracker1 10y ago

by lnrdgmz 10y ago

odbol_ 10y ago

Haha for me it's the opposite. My password never works in Dropbox. I think it's because they don't support spaces in passwords, but they don't tell you when you change your password. They just accept the change and then you can't login.

cookiecaper 10y ago
There are many sites with little exceptions like that. I think that their password filter allows the characters, but their backend input sanitization doesn't, so it cleans it up and inserts a transformed version of the pass without providing notification. I've found this happens particularly often with passwords with symbols like !, #, or ;.
- zodPod 10y ago
  In general, this is one of the most frustrating things with trying to secure yourself online. I have gone through like "I WANT TO USE PASSPHRASES" then gone to places like PAYPAL and had them have an upper limit on password length. It's absurd that they all have slightly different requirements. I am switching to a password manager now.
- chebucto 10y ago
  This problem has been noted for some time. Past articles on the subject have shown how the various requirements for passwords come about through a combination of limitations imposed by the system they're being used on, or through misguided attempts at making things easier for users. I wonder if there has ever been an attempt through a forum like RFCs or ISO to define a worldwide (or at least latin char set) standard for password requirements. Based on what i've seen in forums like this, there seems to be fairly broad acceptance that allowing a large number of characters from a character set with as few limitations as possible bests serves the interest of security. The thorniest issue would likely be about balancing requirements for increased complexity (eg capitals and lowercase, numbers, etc) with ease of use.
turshija 10y ago
I'm using password with spaces for Dropbox without any problems. Must be something else is an issue at your side... Have you tried resetting it ?

fapjacks 10y ago

Totally. You wanna talk about people forgetting? It seems everyone has totally forgotten (or forgiven) that Dropbox was mentioned specifically in the Snowden leaks as a source.

ljk 10y ago
are there better alternatives though?
- spike021 10y ago
  box.com is pretty good. I've personally used it for several years now and I can't recall the last time there was any real issue with it, usability or security-wise.
- Rumudiez 10y ago
  "Better" is subjective. I consider Google Drive much better, personally. Alternatives, though? Plenty: Google Drive, Box, OneDrive, iCloud Backup and iCloud Drive.. the list goes on with a simple Google search for "online storage"
  - elliotec 10y ago
    Does google drive work the same way as Dropbox? Cross platform, acts as a folder in your home dir, selective sync, etc? Seriously ready to move on from Dropbox and my google fiber account comes with a free terabyte of google drive.
    - uiri 10y ago
      I've never set it up but I believe that you can get it to work the same way. Install the desktop application: https://support.google.com/drive/answer/2374987 https://support.google.com/drive/answer/2374987 Change sync settings: https://support.google.com/drive/answer/2375083 https://support.google.com/drive/answer/2375083
    - tracker1 10y ago