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Track your Stolen Mac via the Internet

orbicule.com — In case of theft, Undercover not only reveals the internet location of your Mac, it also transmits screenshots, enabling you to closely monitor your stolen Mac.

Bury
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  • jobeats, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0via http://www.macobserver.com/article/2006/01/18.7.shtml
  • creedman2550, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1This Is Great I Am Downloading Right now. now for a cheap price i can track where my laptop is in case it gets stolen.
  • energyblue, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1This is excellent!
    But i can't think of anyone stealing my crappy eMac
    But i can see the great potensal!
    +DIGG
  • sofa0ne, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3I don't know if it crossed anybodies mind that a thief can and will most likely format the machine after grabbing any useful data on it. Unless this program is writing something to a chip that's in the computer. I see too many holes for the security that this is offering.

  • cboyack, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7sofa0ne: you set your firmware password - http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/apple/openfirmwarepassword.html - and then they can't boot from a CD or anything like that without your permission :) Right on...
  • ozydingo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0It certianly shouldn't be treated as complete anti-theft security (@sofaOne), but I certainly see it being potentially useful. I imagine there are cases where a stolen laptop, even in the case of it being stolen for resale instead of personal use, will not be formatted and will continue to run this program. Whether or not mitigating the risk of that one particular case of theft is worth 30 bucks, well that's your call.

    Interesting, though, to speculate if the moneyback guarentee applies to when the laptop is formatted. You bought the product and installed it, but they were unable to recover it due to a procedure (formatting) used by the theives...seems like it should apply.
  • capn_caveman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I think that feature that simulates a hardware failure is completely garbage. What I see happening is that a thief with even half a brain would not send that laptop to get it serviced because that thief knows that the laptop is stolen. The most likely scenario in my opinion is that the thief would chuck that stolen laptop into the garbage and go find another one to steal.
  • iSEPIC, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0^^ what they do is sell the stolen laptop to someone (like on ebay or craigslist) then that poor sap gets the wrath - besides, I called applecare and they don't track stolen machines :(
  • Bloc, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0its better than setting a firmware password as atleast you have some way of getting it back
  • zenlunatic, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0There was an article in an old 2600 telling how to do this with a cron job.
  • hankosky, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2""Money-back guarantee (x2)

    We are so confident that Undercover will enable us to recover your Mac that we offer you two money-back guarantees. If we can not recover your stolen Mac, we will fully refund Undercover (1). Of course we still offer our traditional money-back guarantee: if you are not satisfied with Undercover, you will get a full refund within 30 days of purchase. No questions asked.""


    So what about the lost mac? are they gonna replace that?
  • teh_toaster, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0For people without a mac: http://www.absolute.com/
  • linuxmatt, on 10/12/2007, -4/+0This is easily done with a script and OS X's out-of-the-box functionality. Not to mention this is unadulterated SPAM, and reported so.
  • RyeBrye, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"Can Undercover be uninstalled by a thief?"
    For a thief, uninstalling Undercover is impossible. You can only uninstall Undercover if you know the Administrator password for the given mac.

    Unless they have their firmware password set this is not very hard to do. Just boot up from the OS X install disk and reset their administrator and root passwords.
  • b04155, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Who wouldn't completely reformat a stolen laptop or computer?
  • VipeNess, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0or you can just reinstall the damn os on the laptop, by paritioning it first, then formatting making sure your new laptop is clean and brand new, for you use.
  • whizzbang, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2They should take a photo of the thief with the built in iSight and mail it to you! Or to www.Istealcomputers.com or some such
  • panique, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0Snake Oil save your money
  • rderveloy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0There are ways to protect your computer from formatting. DeepFreeze is one such product. I've used it on windows, I'm sure the Mac version is just as good:

    http://www.faronics.com/html/DFMac.asp
  • dj_sea2005, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0thieves are too stupid to figure out how to use a mac. so why would they steal one?

    VERY good program though, +digg
  • bagochris, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I still think its a great idea, Even though I'm sure someone could get around it THIEVES are stupid and it increases your chance of getting it back..... Deff instaling it on my new macbook!
  • dj_sea2005, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"thieves are too stupid to figure out how to use a mac. so why would they steal one"

    oops, i meant to say. thieves are too stupid to figure out how to use macs, so how would they format it? (@ sofa0ne)
  • raano, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1A waste of $30. A firmware password can be gotten around if they have physical access to the machine, well duh, if they stole it they have access. They'll reset the firmware password, reformat the drive, and presto--another EBay auction. A better solution is to don't let your laptop out of sight, and make sure your homeowner policy will cover it if it's stolen.
  • osbjmg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0And if the thief formats the disk?
  • Zippygoose, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0"As these screenshots are sent at regular intervals, they will sooner or later reveal the thief's identity (e.g. when chatting, reading e-mail,...) making it much easier to work with law enforcement in order to recover your Mac."

    work with law enforcement? lol.
  • frem001, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0anyone tried this? i can't see a thief knowing how to reformat it, don't you need reinstall disks to do that, sounds like more trouble than it's worth.
  • topper24hours, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2"I don't know if it crossed anybodies mind that a thief can and will most likely format the machine after grabbing any useful data on it."

    Oh you upper-middle class kids are soooo *cute*! You've never seen crime... that's so adorable it makes me sick! Ummm..... most thieves are brainless dope fiends who only try to get a $20 bill for stolen electronics. If you have the the tech tools/skills to reload OSX after formatting the drive you PROBABLY not a common scum thief! (generally speaking).
  • Kold, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Never thought I'd see the day when I was intentionally installing SpyWare on my machine. Funny how things go.
  • Zippygoose, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1When will you find these guys? I
    mean, do you have any promising leads?

    Leads, yeah. I'll just check with
    the boys down at the Crime Lab.
    They've assigned four more detectives
    to the case, got us working in shifts!
  • ndm007, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Hmmm, how does this know when an Apple retailer has hold of it.

  • ucg1, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I read a story about someone who was able to track their stolen laptop (a Mac as well) because they had remote access enabled and something that sent the IP address somewhere. They actually went to the person's house (probably someone who bought it from the thief) and asked for it back and got it back.

    All you really need to do is have VNC or some form of remote access and a script that pings somewhere that logs the IP addresses.
  • bloqmon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"Additionally, your Mac will start shouting this message, asking to return it as soon as possible." Nice touch. ^^ +digg
  • costoa, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Looks like major league snake oil. They say that it can be removed by formatting the HD and to avoid this use a firmware password. Unfortunately using a firmware password will render their program useless.

    No Digg.
    • bbatsell, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I realize this story is 8 months old, but I just stumbled upon this comment and wanted to correct it. An OpenFirmware password is NOT similar to a BIOS password on Windows PCs. It is not required to start up the machine; it is required to change the startup disk, whether to another hard drive or an OS X boot CD with which one could reformat the hard drive or reset the administrator password.
  • harpdog, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0> A firmware password can be gotten around if they have physical access to the machine, well duh, if they stole it they have access.rnrnrnA firmware password is not easy to get around, It involves removing the ram for a start and a few other things your average teef aint gonna know how to do that.rn
  • oepapel, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0"There are ways to protect your computer from formatting. DeepFreeze is one such product"

    If you believe that then I've got some "security" software to sell you at rock bottom prices!
  • screwball, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Not a lot of thieves keep something as expensive as a laptop for themselves after its been stolen. Chances are the stolen goods will be sold, and bought by someone who WILL wipe the harddrive and customize the software to their individual needs. I'm not sure how easy it is to get around a firmware password though. Especially to someone who would have the knowledge of wiping a harddrive and reinstalling everything.
  • oepapel, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0"Oh you upper-middle class kids are soooo *cute*! You've never seen crime... that's so adorable it makes me sick! "

    Yeah, the "dope" sells it to his fence for $20 and the fence (who is NOT a brainless dope) rips the laptop apart and sells the pieces as replacements on ebay. Or he gives it to his cousin or whatever and gives it the "resell" treatment. The needed computer skills aren't that hard to come by.
  • xiloki, on 10/12/2007, -4/+0Reported as spam.
  • screwball, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1After some Googling, it seems that its not too difficult at all to remove the firmware password. And it is safe to assume most of the people knowing how to use a computer will know Google.

    I am going to have to agree with previous posters: Snake oil.
  • spoid_, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Yep, there are ways around it, but for the casual thief this might work. Might be worth the $30.
  • nightsweat, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Simple idea in addition or instead of this - Stick a small piece of paper in the battery compartment (or elsewhere that isn't too hot or near moving parts like a fan) with the text - "This computer belongs to %yourname%. If it was not brought in by %yourname%, call %yourphonenum%, as this machine MAY BE STOLEN."

    I know of one person who got back a stolen bicycle using a similar trick.
  • jpbleuu, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2nice so if your 2000 dollar mac gets stolen and can't be returned using this software you will get your 30 dollars back! how could you not pass that up!
  • jpbleuu, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0oh and if i stole a laptop and it broke, i would not bring it to someone to fix it. i would trash it and steal another laptop.
  • OandA, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0For those of you saying u can just reformat the machine yes you have a point.
    HOWEVER THAT CANNOT BE DONE IF YOU HAVE SET AN
    OPEN FIRMWARE PASSWORD

    U need a password to boot from cd, boot as target, boot into single user mode, reset pram, and pretty much any other key command on boot up. ALSO since this is in the FIRMWARE swapping out the drive won't do anything except get rid of the anti theft software. u still have a dud. I think there may be a way of resetting the firmware password internally but i'm not sure.

  • Crab256, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0If I were stealing a computer, I'd format it, which would mean "Goodbye undercover". For argument sake, let's say that the thief didn't format the machine. If plan B was initiated and the Mac started acting erratically, you can bet that it would be formatted. Also, what thief would take a stolen Mac to a Mac authorized dealer to get it fixed?
  • mrbinary, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"I read a story about someone who was able to track their stolen laptop (a Mac as well) because they had remote access enabled and something that sent the IP address somewhere."rnrnIn 2002 there was a story of a guy using Timbuktu, a remote management program, on a stolen iMac. He was able to log in and manually delete sensitive files. He also installed a "death script," an AppleScript made to render the computer unusable. Unfortunately the thief found the script and disabled it, but still was not aware of Timbuktu running.rnrnThe thief then changed ISPs, installing AOL. Here's the really cool part: the owner was able to remotely insert a modified AOL connection file into the stolen computer, causing it to dial his home number. He received 15 calls from an unknown number and turned it over to the police. They recovered the iMac.rnrnHere's the entire usenet discussion as the events were happening:rnhttp://web.archive.org/web/20020125164039/http://www.macscripter.net/unscripted.html
  • mrbinary, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2"I read a story about someone who was able to track their stolen laptop (a Mac as well) because they had remote access enabled and something that sent the IP address somewhere."

    In 2002 there was a story of a guy using Timbuktu, a remote management program, on a stolen iMac. He was able to log in and manually delete sensitive files. He also installed a "death script," an AppleScript made to render the computer unusable. Unfortunately the thief found the script and disabled it, but still was not aware of Timbuktu running.

    The thief then changed ISPs, installing AOL. Here's the really cool part: the owner was able to remotely insert a modified AOL connection file into the stolen computer, causing it to dial his home number. He received 15 calls from an unknown number and turned it over to the police. They recovered the iMac.

    Here's the entire usenet discussion as the events were happening:
    http://web.archive.org/web/20020125164039/http://www.macscripter.net/unscripted.html
  • laughterkillsme, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0HAHAHAHAHAHA, sounds liek the biggest security hole ever. Makes me think of all the trojans that use window's remote desktop holes.
  • stoops, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0Yea, I would not waste my money on this product and since some people commenting don't do their research, the Firmware Password can be reset, it required that you change your ram and then zap the PRAM twice with the proper key combo, after that say goodbye to your 30 dollars. I would recomment buying a kensington lock instead.
  • topper24hours, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Ok.... if it was a PC I could see somebody formatting the disk and slapping in a restore CD. See many OSX cds at the local crack dealers? Didn't think so! Because 97%+ PCs run Windows it is easy to restore a win machine. I think if there is no password on a stolen mac notebook it is safe to assume the thief (unless VERY tech savvy) would use as-is/sell as-is.
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