Revenge is so Sweet!!!

[Colonal Mustard]

A tale of woe i wish to share with you rotary members.

Whilst this post may sit with the computer /internet forum as an ex rotary chap i wish to mention to my rotary colleagues about a piece of fantastic software , not a plug as its freeware and easy to install, i`m aware most of you travel with laptops and this will give you piece of mind.

In May i bought a new Laptop, top spec with various geeky bits.

In June i went at short notice to a social function in london and said laptop was stolen, along with my phone and ipod.

I reported this as stolen with the city of london and replaced at much cost the items taken, however what i also had was a piece of freeware tracking software, once activated on the stolen laptop it starts at windows/mac bootup and in short "checks" to see if its reported stolen from the host, if it is stolen then it takes a webcam picture of the person in possession of it and a desktop screenshot, it also grabs the IP address that it is using to connect to the internet (in short it tells you where it is)

After 6 weeks i lost hope until 2 days ago, the laptop "reported into me" its location and sent me pics at various intervals, in 2 days i established a name,address, facebook site, hotmail details including e-mail.

Amongst these were various porn site searches he was making and webcam shots of him "enjoying" them.

Details passed to the police almost instantly led to the return of it this evening

At last justice fights back!!!

i thouroughly recommend the software

Track down your stolen laptop – Prey (http://preyproject.com/)

Download the software / install and voila its free!!

CM:ok:

[Arm out the window]

Are you Lisbeth Salander?!

[Senior Pilot]

Whilst this is an interesting piece of software, I'll have to move it to the Computer forum where it belongs.

But thanks for the link :ok:

[outhouse]

Many thanks for the information, will try it out.
:ok:

[mixture]

hmmmmmmmmm..........

Does no one else spot the obvious flaw ?

IT'S SOFTWARE !!!!!!!!!!!

All it needs is anyone with half a brain to either :

(a) Uninstall it before connecting to the internet
or
(b) Wipe or replace the laptop's hard drive

and you are back to square one.


Furthermore, all these screenshots are great..... but what happens if he was browsing kiddie porn ..... might have caused you a few headaches....:cool:

[outhouse]

Hi, thanks for stating the blindingly obvious, however with some security programs they are hidden, also some of the thieving sods are not the sharpest pencil in the box. Also any chance to get sods arrested is good. My Ipad has a security system, hidden and works. I also have the option to remotely wipe the disk, locate and inform the authority. Any phone has a tracking number, no connection with the sim card installed, it can be tracked by the police after you register it stolen. World wide service.
:ok:

[parabellum]

People like you, mixture, who are computer savvy, probably don't need to steal them? As the software is a free-be it must surely be worth a try?

[mixture]

parabellum,

Indeed, you can try what you like. But personally, I reckon something like Selectamark (http://www.selectamark.co.uk) is more of a deterrent.

In the end, laptops are like bicycles.....highly portable and so the potential of unrecoverable loss is just an eventuality you have to be prepared for. Colonal Mustard was obviously very lucky that (a) the police knew the person on the photo and (b) the laptop hadn't traveled far.

[Colonal Mustard]

Fortunately no significant detective work was needed, face***k gave his name,his previous school (through his desire to tell everyone his educational history in faceb**k) and IP address, he was unknown to authorities, but simple open source enqs using google and social networking sites coupled with screen shots made the police`s job easier and a quick win.

If you travel i thoroughly recommend this if not something else, its better than nothing at all and if the thief is inquisitive on whats on your laptop and has an internet connection its all prey needs and is a starter for 10 even if he wipes it, some software can be embedded in BIOS and a simple password lock prevents deletion (i think you have to pay for it though).

I still cant help chuckling as i see the twa** face on the screengrabs, would love to have been a fly on the wall when police told him how he was caught!!:=

[call100]

hmmmmmmmmm..........

Does no one else spot the obvious flaw ?

IT'S SOFTWARE !!!!!!!!!!!

All it needs is anyone with half a brain to either :

(a) Uninstall it before connecting to the internet
or
(b) Wipe or replace the laptop's hard drive

and you are back to square one.


Furthermore, all these screenshots are great..... but what happens if he was browsing kiddie porn ..... might have caused you a few headaches....:cool:
I can't see how the stuff surfed/downloaded after the date it was stolen could cause a headache for the original owner.

The other mystery is why he was on pprune (or did I just misunderstand:confused::uhoh:)

[Colonal Mustard]

he was on faceb**k not pprune (didnt realise that this site overwrote faceb**k with pprune)

[mixture]

Call100,


I can't see how the stuff surfed/downloaded after the date it was stolen could cause a headache for the original owner.

from the original description...

it takes a webcam picture of the person in possession of it and a desktop screenshot

You would therefore be transmitting images back to yourself and viewing them.

Of course it does assume your computer got screened at some point in the future.... unless of course the software also emails you the URLs being browsed, in which case your ISPs filters might pick it up.

All theoretical extrapolation of course......


Anyhow... I think we've taken this whole topic further than Colonal's initial desire just to let others know about some potentially handy software.

[Flying Serpent]

maybe next time I steal a laptop I'll just remember to stick a piece of tape over the webcam and not browse any networking sites.

[Saab Dastard]

Interesting, but an ounce of prevention is better than a ton of cure.

Now, what I would like to see is something in the BIOS or firmware, tied to the (globally unique) MAC address of the built-in wifi and copper NICs, that could be activated when stolen / lost.

It would have to be independent of the OS, and able to operate out-of-band - a bit like the iLO functionality on HP servers.

Probably too expensive to implement - it would be the manufacturer's who would need to do the R&D, and they really don't mind if your lappy gets nicked, 'cos you're going to buy another, aren't you?

SD

[Bruce Wayne]

hah ! seems like a useful bit of free software.

as a word of advice for all of you who travel with laptops please consider what i do, i have two of them, one an HP workhorse, the other a vaio with a fingerprint log on to windows.

on all my computers desktops and laptops i have the user account password log on enabled to windows.

also, when traveling i set the boot password in the BIOS very simple to do, takes about ten seconds.

so if the computer is nabbed, anyone trying to boot it up will not be able to boot into the O/S or even the BIOS settings.

kind sucks for the thief. even if the hard drive is removed, dang thing still wont boot into the OS.

my laptop gets stolen, its useless, pull the hard drive. no data access and laptop still useless

Note: my hard drives are separated into the O/S and data simply the c drive carries all the operating software and the d drive carries all the data. the reason for this is simple if the O/S takes a dump, i don't loose any data simply reinstall the c drive from its last back up (about 30 mins) and secondly the d drive with outlook pst files documents data etc is encrypted.

so guys, if your travelling with your laptop, think about setting a BIOS password.

also look at stuffback.com

[Saab Dastard]

Bruce,

Sorry to burst your bubble, but just google "reset BIOS password". For most, if not all, systems it's pretty easy.

user account password log on enabled to windows

Wow, any half-intelligent thief / hacker can reset passwords on any Windows PC in seconds, given physical access to boot it from USB, CD or floppy. I can, but I'm a good guy, so it doesn't count! ;)

The only way you are going to protect your data is to have partial (vault) or whole disk encryption. But you'd better not forget your password!

And whole disk encryption does have an impact on boot time and performance.

It's been mandatory in government and MOD environments for some time - and it's even becoming a requirement for local government. A lot of that is down to the number of stolen / lost laptops with confidential data that have been reported over the past few years.

SD

[Bruce Wayne]

saab,

oh I'm well aware, as I've needed to do it myself when a brain fart has resulted in forgetting which password i used. :}


the thing is most thieves are not particularly bright, to be honest, no matter if they do eliminate the passwords they'll have access to installed programs. whoopee do ! its the data on the hard drive i want to keep secure.

i hear ya and agree with you.

the other thing is with this is that if you do use a piece of freeware like in the OP, you are effectively eliminating the possibility of it working as Mr thief will probably re format.


i've noticed you are rather tech savvy like myself, a lot of people are not, and it can get problematic for people to lock down tightly if they dont know what they are doing.

the key is not getting it stolen in the first place ! :p

but if it does, its the data that needs to be secured. the laptop can be replaced but the devastation to business and personal life can often not be undone once the data is out of your control.

[outhouse]

Hi chaps all this talk about security and passwords and stuff. Set the finger print security on the lap tops, security stuff downloaded and installed extra passwords in that stuff beginning with B, the security system activated and checked on the Ipad. Super, now locked out of one LTop, and it takes: ages to start and get on line. Question how has this stopped the **** thief, next time I travel I will get some hand cuffs and lock it to my hand.
Have fun.:ugh:

[Mac the Knife]

"..also, when traveling i set the boot password in the BIOS very simple to do, takes about ten seconds....so if the computer is nabbed, anyone trying to boot it up will not be able to boot into the O/S or even the BIOS settings."

Pull BIOS battery, wait 5 minutes and reinsert.

Voila, back at BIOS defaults.

:suspect:

[Colonal Mustard]

which comes back to my Orig Post, Its simple, and gives you a fighting chance of getting your laptop back, there are what if`s and "possibles" but i`m sure glad i had the freeware installed as the idiot:-

a) failed to format before use (cause he was either nosy or stupid)
b) didn`t have to enter a login password as i wanted someone to open it easily in order for the software to work
c) was ultimately a thief and was caught out easily

I luckily didn`t have any data on it as i am fully aware that these things go missing due to cu+_@ in the world, however wanted at least to have the opportunity to find out what happened to it.

If i found out he had gone abroad, (i.e the tourist thief) then i would have just gleaned what info i could and suggested he returned it (armed with the sites he accessed i couldhave made his life a misery for some time, and if he complained then even better, the cops seeing a serial number of a stolen laptop would have been the icing on the cake.:}

[Bruce Wayne]

yep the upshot is no matter what you do mostly it can be undone.

thats why i have a workhorse lappy as well for travelling to rougher destinations.. the vaio is a bit more delicate with a larger creen and a lot thinner than the workhorse lappy.

going through airport security in a rougher destination one of the guys with me put his new sparkly lappy through security. The 'customs officer' said he couldnt allow it to go through unless he paid import duty on it (in broken engrish) which equated to a lot more than the laptop was worth or have it confistacted. which it wa,s to to the delight of the customs officer.

an older workhorse no one is that bothered about... there's newer flashier stuff to be had (steal) and if it gets taken then it will cost a couple of hundred to replace off ebay.

best to stop it getting taken in the first place but in some cases that can be tough so take a crapper with you instead and leave the good stuff safe :suspect:

[Checkboard]

... and of course you have to trust that this handy bit of spy software ( which someone spent a lot of time developing and then gave to you for free out of the goodness of their heart) isn't spending its time spying on you while its waiting for that 1 in 100 theft. :hmm:

[Global Warrior]

i use a software that requires a password input at startup or coming out of hibernation, with 3 attempts. Get it wrong and the disc is wiped. Obviously its important to backup regularly, if not every night but at least my data is safe in the event the computer is nicked :=

[outhouse]

Thanks all For the info.
:ok:

[Bruce Wayne]

i use a software that requires a password input at startup or coming out of hibernation, with 3 attempts. Get it wrong and the disc is wiped


watch that caps lock and num lock ! :}