Computer Associates Offers Warranties

Kelvin D. writes, "Computer Associates has come up with a new angle to get consumers to buy its security software — a warranty with cash benefits if you catch a virus ($1,500) or get your identity stolen ($5,000). From the article: 'Users who want the identity theft coverage need to both install and register their copies of Warranty Corporation of America's Mobile Lifeline (included). No registration, no coverage.'" Moblie Lifeline includes something that sounds like a benign Trojan: it lets you retrieve or delete files from your stolen computer if it's ever connected again to the Internet.

Comments

question

[jimstapleton]

how do we know they are secure enough to prevent others from hacking in and doing that to your NOT stolen computer that you are using? Seems a huge potential downside.

Call me crazy but

[Ravenscall]

I predict if they honor this and publicize it well, they will be bankrupt within two years.

Re:5K isn't going to be enough

[RedHelix]

They've been advertising this service in the TD catalog for a couple of months. The 1,500 warranty is for HARDWARE damage. Obviously, viruses and trojans are unlikely to ever cause a physical hardware problem with the machine, and even if they do it would be impossible to prove. They're essentially promoting a software warranty that they'll never have to honor.

This makes no sense at all

[finkployd]

So, I am to believe that my identity will be stolen because my laptop is not secure enough.

NOT, mind you, because dozens (hundreds? Impossible for me to find out) of companies consider my personal and financial information to be their intellectual property to be sold to other companies.

NOT, mind you, because these companies have basically no interest in protecting the data in that losing it does not hurt them any (maybe a token fine tops). So they don't encrypt it, lose backup tapes, let employees take it home on laptops, etc.

NOT, mind you, because the banking and finance industry, against all common sense, believes my social security number to be not only a positive identifier, but an authentication token that obviously only I could ever know. And since we all need same minute loans, any credit apps must go through ASAP, no wasting time to take any steps to actually identify the person making the request.

Nope, it must be because my laptop is running the right CA software.

Finkployd

I forsee a nice way for some money on the side

[Opportunist]

1. Be another Antivir company.
2. Buy CAI's package.
3. Infect your machines with the latest trojans that NOBODY has any signatures or heuristics for.
4. Profit.

My next full time job

[pHZero]

1) Write one new virus a week 2) Infect my own PC 3) Collect weekly salary of $1500 (Profit!!!)

Identity theft payouts could be interesting

[IIH]

"benefits if you catch a virus ($1,500) or get your identity stolen ($5,000).

"Well, Mr. Smith, our records do show that this identity was proven to be stolen. Of course we paid out according to our warrenty. Our records show the $5,000 was paid out on X date. You didn't receive it? Well, we sent it to Y address. That's not you? Oh, it seems to have been paid to the wrong person, but unfortunately we can't do anything about that, as it appears you've been the victim of identity theft. Want to buy a warrenty to protect you against this in the future? No? Well, have a nice day.