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Another Stab at Laptop Security
kogus writes "LoJack is licensing its brand name to Absolute Software, which provides Computrace -- soon to be known as the 'LoJack for Laptops' line of computer theft recovery systems. When a stolen Computrace-equipped system is connected to the Internet, it automatically and silently sends locating data to Absolute Software, which then calls out the law. In some cases, Absolute Software customers are eligible for a $1,000 guarantee payment when a stolen system is not recovered within 60 days.
Absolute Software may be guaranteeing $1,000 after 60 days if the laptop is not found, but you'd be surprised what that actually means.
:
I used to work for a computer store. We sold scores of laptop locks; all sorts of kinds of them. The Kensington locks sold like hotcakes because they had a $1,200 "guarantee" that the lock could not be compromised. The problem, we soon found out, is that the theif has to physically cut through the lock and leave behind the pieces. As we all know, some locks can be picked with even a bic pen, and so a lot of good this "guarantee" did for some poeple. Some theives also just took the not-so-hard-to-steal item the laptops were attached too. (Lock it to a bed or desk people, please!)
No evidence to send in, no money back. I am willing to bet in this case there are similar loopholes for Absolute Software to play with.
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The only wiki source for politically incorrect non-information about things like Kitten Huffing and Pong! the Movie !
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Come on Slashdot. What is this, news for AOL users? This kiddie crap. Yes, most thieves will just boot the computer with Windows and try to get on the net. But this is Slashdot. We're nerds or something. And this ain't F***ing news. If I got a laptop that was stolen, hell if it was used, I would format it:
/ faqs.asp
From the website: www.absolute.com
Q. Can Computrace Personal be removed?
A. The Computrace Personal software is a low-level utility that is as tamper resistant as a disk-based utility can be. The software can only be removed by an authorized user with the correct password so please be sure the password is stored in a safe location and not on the protected computer.
Q. What happens if a computer's hard drive is removed?
A. The software resides on a computer's hard drive so if the drive is removed the computer will no longer be protected and can not be located if stolen or lost.
http://www.absolute.com/Public/computracepersonal
Wow, what great protection.
Come on!!!!! This ain't even hardware!!!
CAPS LOCK: ITS LIKE THE CRUISE CONTROL FOR AWESOME
Here's a snippet from their website:
Doesn't look like it's on firmware to me...
____
~ |rip/\/\aster /\/\onkey
The idea was that if you needed to insert a line or two at some place in your program, you'd be able to do so without renumbering all lines.
quidquid latine dictum sit altum videtur.
I also wondered about that as well, so I jumped on the website and did a bit of research before posting here.
FROM FAQ
Q. Can ComputracePlus be detected?
A. On most PCs, the Computrace Agent, which powers ComputracePlus, is silent and invisible and will not be detected by looking at the disk directory or running a utility that examines RAM. On many PCs - depending on their operating system - the Agent cannot be erased off the hard drive by deleting files because it is not visible in file directories. The Agent can survive a hard drive re-format, F-disk command and hard drive re-partitioning. The Agent can be removed by an authorized user with the correct password and installation software.
On a Mac system, it is very difficult for a standard user to deliberately or accidentally delete the Agent as the files cannot be deleted by anyone other than the root user.
Q. What happens if a computer's hard drive is removed? A. The Computrace Agent resides on a computer's hard drive so if the drive is removed and installed on another computer, the Agent will initiate contact with the Monitoring Center at its next scheduled call. It will then report its new location. The original computer will no longer be protected.
Sig