Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Laptop Theft

Everyone now has a laptop. That's very good and commendable but how safe is it? Laptop theft is now with us, here, breathing slowly and waiting for us to sleep on the ball then rear is ugly head. Since we do not know who the thief is and when they will strike the best we can do is to try and clip their wings.

So how do we go about it. First let us review the two typical theft scenarios. One is opportunistic theft where some random person stumbles on an opportunity. Maybe you just decided to take a call round the corner and left your computer unmanned for a moment and when you get back voila! The second scenario is where the "thief" does know who you are and has plans for you so they are just lurking somewhere in wings waiting to strike.

There are many solutions lying around including insurance. But it is very likely you do not want to pay premiums just because you suspect. You might as well save up for a second machine! The most practical option in sight is a physical security cable akin to those seen in computer shops. This is a lightweight metal cable no more than a meter long and coated with a rubber tube. It has a metal lock that goes into the security slot in laptops, projectors or even gaming consoles. On the other end is a small loop that hangs onto an immoveable heavy object such as a fixed table.

So what if the thief comes along with some cable cutter or tears out the cable. First it is suspicious to walk around with cable cutters, second yanking out the cable may lead to serious damage which is not very wise assuming the motive is to sell the stolen equipment. But what if it is for malice? Like a competitor attempting to scuttle the launch of a new innovation or simply the Gestapo looking for God knows what. Having said that, let's turn to software.

Enough software exists that claims to track stolen equipment. The truth is it is hard to choose. The most appealing came in the name of "Prey". This is open source and free and relies on the assumption that the robber might decide not to format the stolen device or sanitize the hard disk and then go on to access the internet. The software enlists support for over 500 devices including phones, sings about the location details and even takes a photo (if webcam present) of the new owner happily Facebooking away. Heaven have mercy if the face is that of your old time very good Christian pal. Google will tell you more.