Re:LACC: PC Phones Home?
Dennis Hilliard writes:
"Software to the rescue: If somoeone steals your PC, you may be able to get it back because of software that acts as a kind of tracking device. Home Office Computing magazine reports that the software CompuTrace TRS will automatically dial the office of its creator, Absolute Software, if a thief hooks up a stolen PC's modem to a phone line. The software reveals the location of the PC and Absolute Software will call the police" - Providence Journal-Bulletin - March 12, 1996.
Any Comments?
A few questions: 1- How does the PC know where it is? 2- How does the PC know it has been stolen? Since this is a software product I am assuming that the answer to #1 is the use of CallerID on the line when the software calls, which is defeated by the use of line blocking by the thief. The obvious answer to #2 seems to me to have the system call the CompuTrace office at odd intervals to see if it has been reported stolen yet... Obvious solution for potential thieves: wipe the disks and reinstall an OS once you steal a PC. This should be done anyway to remove any bits of data which might identify the original owner. Conclusion: Yet another useless piece of software riding the computer security bandwagon. jim
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- On Wed, 13 Mar 1996, Jim McCoy wrote:
A few questions:
1- How does the PC know where it is? 2- How does the PC know it has been stolen?
Since this is a software product I am assuming that the answer to #1 is the use of CallerID on the line when the software calls, which is defeated by the use of line blocking by the thief. The obvious answer to #2 seems to me to have the system call the CompuTrace office at odd intervals to see if it has been reported stolen yet...
If the company uses an 800-number, than ANI can be used to identify the caller. ANI information cannot be blocked with *67 or line blocking.
Obvious solution for potential thieves: wipe the disks and reinstall an OS once you steal a PC. This should be done anyway to remove any bits of data which might identify the original owner.
If the software installs itself on the master boot record, than reformatting the disk would not get rid of the program. - --Mark =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= markm@voicenet.com | finger -l for PGP key 0xf9b22ba5 http://www.voicenet.com/~markm/ | bd24d08e3cbb53472054fa56002258d5 "The concept of normalcy is just a conspiracy of the majority" -me -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.3 Charset: noconv iQCVAwUBMUibNbZc+sv5siulAQHAzQP+MW1/rB9zdkp0CR8Nk9jB2BckV7j91bA6 Vr0+K41Lhg2/7ais7zxSJ5XUc8C0+2N0rr5tEE3oyeKtJJI/WL1a9BaHdovwrW3R PrJ1NG3E782SKXfN4uB5uialg+DaGyy0eyTqeRJw9ot/7XltTfStgYl9vX7rpmR5 KWuAG+KRTeE= =u09m -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
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