Dropbox is one of the most popular cloud storage service. It lets users sync data not only from computer but also from smartphone and tablets, all thanks to its mobile app. One reason why Dropbox has become so popular is because of its simplicity – just copy and paste the file in Dropbox folder and the file will be uploaded to Dropbox. Also, there are many different third-party apps too that support Dropbox, and add more functionality to it. But did you know that there’s a way using which you can track the IP address of your stolen computer, if you’ve installed Dropbox on it.
Let’s say you’ve installed Dropbox on your laptop; and unfortunately, that precious laptop is stolen. If the thief connects your laptop to the Internet, then you’ll know about the IP address from which Dropbox is accessed. Let’s learn how to track the thief based on Dropbox.
You must have Dropbox installed and running on your computer. If you’ve not installed it, then download and install the Dropbox client for your respective operating system from www.dropbox.com.
Now, when your computer is stolen, use your friend’s PC and login to the online interface of Dropbox and go to Settings by clicking on your name from the top right side of the screen.
From the Security tab, you’ll be able to see the My devices section. Try to identify your stolen computer and then hover your mouse over the blue icon in “Most recent activity” box. That’s it. You’ll now be able to see the IP address in a small pop-up box (as seen in the below screenshot).
You’ve got the IP, but now what? Use some IP address locator/finder service (you’ll find many such services by a simple Google search) and then enter that IP. You should now get the geo-location data for that particular IP address. You can try to report this IP to the authorities too, so that they may get a clue on the thief’s location.
Well, you’ve got one more smart use of Dropbox with this small but useful trick.
Leave a Reply