Dropbox App Warning Confirmed — Passwords Deleted If You Don’t Act

Microsoft users have been warned that their passwords will be deleted within days due to critical changes affecting the Microsoft Authenticator app. Now it is the turn of Dropbox users as the cloud storage behemoth warns of an October 28 deadline after which Dropbox Passwords will be discontinued and all passwords will be “securely deleted from our servers.” Here’s what you need to know, and do, to save yours.

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Confirmed: Dropbox Passwords To Be Deleted October 28

In the current cybercrime climate, a password manager is not just a nice-to-have utility; it is an essential part of your data security defenses. Massive data breaches are a fact of life, password breaches likewise. These do not have to be overly sophisticated; basic phishing methods are as effective as AI-powered deepfake attacks. Which is why I am less than impressed by the fact that some large vendors are now deprecating their own password manager apps.

A July 29 Dropbox posting has confirmed that the storage giant is the latest to jump off the password management ship. The official reason? “As part of our efforts to focus on enhancing other features in our core product.” Oh, well, that’s OK then. I’d rather it had found time to focus on password management as well, given it is so important. But what is done is done, or will be come October 28.

Described by Dropbox as being an easy way “to create and store unique passwords as you sign up for new online accounts,” with the added bonus in the event of a data breach, that “we’ll notify you – enabling you to quickly update or reset passwords,” Dropbox Passwords has been sentenced to death.

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Dropbox Passwords App Cessation Timeline

Here are the important dates in the timeline that you need to be aware of:

• August 28 – Dropbox Passwords will become view-only in both the mobile app and browser extension. You will no longer be able to add new passwords, and autofill functionality will cease.
• September 11 – The Dropbox Passwords mobile app will stop working. Passwords can still be accessed by way of the browser extension after this time.
• October 28 – You won’t be able to access or add any saved usernames, passwords or payment information, and “these entries will be permanently and securely deleted from our servers.” Dark web monitoring will also cease.

“We recommend transferring your passwords to another password manager application,” Dropbox has stated, adding that it sees 1Password as the preferred option. Truth be told, there are plenty of alternatives to 1Password, including the likes of Apple Passwords and Bitwarden. The important thing is to act now, get your passwords transferred to another app as soon as possible and don’t leave it until the last minute.

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