*Edited* Attachment are getting Sanitized

[#1]

HELP! has anyone noticed that recently all the code in PDF forms is been wiped when passing / attaching submitting work to the clients?

[#2]

This is a big problem, but there's a rule against starting multiple threads on the same topic.

[#3]

Has anyone else notice that when PDF forms are passed/attached in here all the code is wiped?

[#4]

Hi Christopher,

We'd like to investigate this. Since we may ask you to share more information about the message and the file you attached, I'll have a support ticket created about this for you. You'll receive an email notification once it's created and I'll also be updating this thread once we know more about the issue.

Thank you.

[#5]

Can you or your team please come up with a fix for this?!!?

[#6]

Honestly, I'm so FED UP with upwork.

I apid to hire a freelancer. she has done AMAZON work, exactly as directed. She submitted files perfectly.

Yet recently, UPWORK has been "sanitizing files", and turning ALL AI documents into PDF's- rendering them absolutely useless! You cant open them, cant isolate layers, or do any animations!

This is absolutely ridiculous. Does anyone know how to turn off this BS 'sanitization' feature?! 

Also, upwork chat and help are absolutely useless. Hoping to find more support here. 

Sincerely, angry and ai-file-less. 

[#7]

Someone else will come along and explain better where to find it if you're not seeing it, but there is an option to download the original files.

[#8]

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Cassandra B wrote:

This is absolutely ridiculous. Does anyone know how to turn off this BS 'sanitization' feature?! 

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`Take a deep breath and simply click on the "download original file" link to the right of the file and download the file as it was sent.

Alternatively, get the freelancer to send the AI to you by email or dropbox

[#9]

Cassandra, Upwork's instuctions for this are beyond poor.  😞

It always makes sense to share contact info with FLes ... and if they fail to suggest it - you do.

[#10]

Hi Cassandra,

Sorry about the frustration caused by this. I see that you chatted with our support team about this as well and they provided some guidance. I also checked and there is still an option to download the original file that shows when hovering mouse over the sanitized file:

[#11]

Hello Christopher,

Yes, I have the same problem for quite some time now, I even submitted a ticket but nothing has been solved, although I've sent samples of PDFs before uploading in the message room, and after downloading from the message room, and the size of the PDFs was different, code was missing, as if when I upload the PDF on UpWork it gets "filtered" somehow.

The workaround I use is to archive the PDF and send it to my client in a zip file

Until the problem is solved, maybe this helps you

Catalin

[#12]

Catalin:

You clearly did NOT need Upwork or anybody else to sole this for you. You figured out a great workaround. Thank you for sharing your tip.

For anyone facing similar problems:

Upwork isn't a file transfer tool.

Professional freelancers have a number of REAL file transfer tools and techniques at their fingertips that know how to use in order to provide high-level, reliable service to their clients. Top freelancers use one or more of the following:

FTP

WeTransfer

Dropbox

Google Drive

Microsoft One Drive

email

USB thumb drive

Sync.com

pCloud

[etc.]

[#13]

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Preston H wrote:

Upwork isn't a file transfer tool.

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But as long as Upwork strongly suggests that work should be submitted via Upwork and throws dire warnings at people for sharing contact details in message threads, Upwork should not wreck / corrupt  things that are being sent through its interfaces that even Facebook can handle without problems

[#14]

Christopher and others,

I'd like to circle back here and provide an update. In some cases, malware scanning will remove embedded macros, formulas, or active content that is deemed potentially malicious.  If you want the original unmodified attachment, you can receive it by contacting Customer Support but note that Upwork is not responsible for any damage that may be caused by opening unmodified files transferred on Upwork.

Soon we'll be adding in product notifications about this.

[#15]

The query revolves around sending not receiving files.

[#16]

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Valeria K wrote:

Christopher and others,

In some cases, malware scanning will remove embedded macros, formulas, or active content that is deemed potentially malicious.

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Okay, that's fine, but you are not doing it the right way.

You can quarantine the file and warn the sender and the recipient.

You can let the file go through and warn the sender and the recipient.

But you cannot change the file and say nothing.

Seriously, your IT team needs to go out and talk to real people every now and then.

[#17]

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Valeria K wrote:

I'd like to circle back here and provide an update. In some cases, malware scanning will remove embedded macros, formulas, or active content that is deemed potentially malicious.  I

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It also removes editing (tracked changes)

Considering how many proofreaders and editors there are, that's terrifying.

We submit work and have *NO* idea what the hell Upwork does to what we submit.

We have no idea if the client sees what we sent.

The filter strips stuff we are paid to be there.

And to do it without anyone being any the wiser (until a client goes ballistic because they didn't get what they paid for because Upwork decided to covertly remove it)  is all wrong, as Rene pointed out.

If Upwork is going to insist on **bleeping up** my files, I need an immediate warning so I can send the client what they paid me to do for them some other way.

I totally get and support why Upwork does this, but please, just tell us if and when something we did send is being changed in any way.

[#18]

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Petra R wrote:

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Valeria K wrote:

I'd like to circle back here and provide an update. In some cases, malware scanning will remove embedded macros, formulas, or active content that is deemed potentially malicious.  I

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It also removes editing (tracked changes)

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WHAAAAT?

[#19]

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Rene K wrote:

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It also removes editing (tracked changes)

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WHAAAAT?

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not always, but it has done that in the past.

Point was: If Upwork make any changes to a submitted something, the user **MUST** be notified.

[#20]

I stopped sending edited/ redlined documents via Upwork months ago.  It does, indeed, remove all the editing.  I use my email or Dropbox to submit those.

[#21]

Does Upwork intend to officially announce that freelancers can no longer deliver finished files to their clients via upload on the message board. Or was this annoucemnt made already and I missed it? I send PDFs to clients and parts are missing, or I send files and the client's browser won't open them because of "dangerous content."

[#22]

Hi Clark,

I'm sorry about the incovience this had caused you. Could you please send me a PM with more details like your client name and the file name so that our team can investigate it further? Thank you.

[#23]

Hi, on august 25 I have sent a Macro enabled excel file named Excercise Mangement Tool V-2.xlsm to my client **Edited for community guidelines**. That file was working fine for me. The client was complaining that the file was not working on his PC because there was no macro (VBA Script) available on that file.

Today: I have got another Macro enabled excel file named Repair of SD_2.05 Bookmaker.xlsm from my client **Edited for community guidelines**. This file was also not working for me because Macros was not available whereas the same file working on his PC.

Seems like Upwork removing the script from the file. After realizing that I have sent the file via email to

**Edited for community guidelines** and then the file was working fine for him. Also, after getting the file from **Edited for community guidelines** via email, it's working fine. It proves that, after sending a file via Upwork message, Macros (VBA script) getting removed. As I am working as an Automation expert this is very important for me to send this type of files to my clients. Also, I send Python script as well to my clients. Sometimes some clients ask for an executable file as they don't know how to run a python script and they want to make running script easier for them. But If I compile my script to an executable (.exe file for PC and .dmg file for Mac) and try to send as a zip file via Upwork message then that file marked as virus whereas the file is completely fine. 

I would like to get Upwork to pay attention to these issues.

[#24]

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Md Atikur R wrote:

I would like to get Upwork to pay attention to these issues.

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They are paying strict attention.  They are strictly not allowing these things because it is kind of dangerous to open files from random people on the internet that are executables or have macros.  They are both protecting the clients and the freelancer by doing so (and also insulating themselves from liability).

My suggestion is to find another route to send the work to your client.  I would still submit it on Upwork as proof that you sent it but then send it through another medium and notify the client that the correct file is coming through Dropbox or whatevz.

[#25]

Hi Md. Atikur,

In some cases, malware scanning will remove embedded macros, formulas, or active content that is deemed potentially malicious. If you want the original unmodified attachment, please contact Customer Support.

Thank you!