Solved! Ultimate Stolen Laptop Recovery

[Twisted]

My goal was laptop security/recovery:

I have posted here in the past about trying to get a (theoretically) stolen laptop back. This week I finally figured out what software would be needed to complete my mission. It’s been tested and works great.

If one of my laptops was lost or stolen, I'd hate to lose the laptop as well as give the thief the additional bonus of my personal music collection etc. I wanted a way to connect to it, wherever in the world it would end up. This way I could delete any personal info, render Windows useless, or maybe even force a pop-up window typing "I see you. I know who you are. Return the laptop and I won't contact the police!". Imagine his face then! So, then I came up with this...

I figured I'd just have to use a logon name and password to protect my info. I always hated using passwords, but it’s the first step in security.

My logon name is now "###-###-####" (my cell number)
Just in case an honest person finds it and turns it on....

Now, behind the password screen, the laptop boots up Windows as well as PCanywhere (as host) so I could have full control of the laptop (I assume, these days, that everyone MUST have wired or wireless access point at their home, and would connect my laptop to the internet). Originally, I was also using a program called IPmailer. This program would send me an email anytime the laptop connected to a different IP address. This would allow me to reconfigure PCanywhere so I could connect to the host at a new address. My only dilemma was; what if someone connects behind a router/firewall? It wouldn't forward any ports to the laptop of course, so I couldn't connect even though I had the correct IP address. I now use Hamachi (VPN) (thanks to the suggestions of some regulars here) on both “client” and “server” side. I have uninstalled IPmailer, as it is no longer needed. Now I can connect through Hamachi no matter where the laptop is, or how many firewalls it is behind! PCanywhere still works like a charm.

Then I also thought... Why not get the built in webcam into play as well? That's where Yawcam comes in. Yawcam boots up with Windows (I have it running as a service, where it also runs “stealth”) and begins streaming live video to the internet. And, I can monitor it from ANY browser. Imagine accidentally leaving your laptop poolside at a hotel, only to come back later and find it missing! We always travel with two laptops, so connecting to the missing laptop and seeing who actually took it is an awesome possibility! You might catch them before they checkout. You can see his face while he’s trying to guess at your password, and he wouldn’t even know he’s being watched! How funny is that? At this point, I’d think the odds of getting back your laptop are very good. If you didn’t have a second PC with you, I guess you’d have to wait until you got back to your home PC before you would be able to begin your “investigation”. I doubt the hotel would allow you to install Hamachi etc on their machine. Anyway, it works perfectly my for family’s needs

I’ve tested this every which I could and haven’t had any real problems. The only issue I have come across so far is that on my Dell Inspiron, the blue webcam light comes on and stays on. I don’t want to permanently disable it (a.k.a. break it), or stick some tape over it (too ghetto), so I am still looking for a registry hack to do that. If anyone knows of one give me a shout. It all runs just fine on my mini and my Inspiron.

Best of all, Hamachi and Yawcam are free. (PCanywhere isn’t)

If anyone has ideas to improve on this, or suggestions please post. :wink:

[nogoodnick]

You realize, of course, that all the thief, assuming he actually knows how to run computers, has to do is either:

o Open it is "Safe Mode" or
o Copy over your HD with a fresh bootleg copy of Windows
(but then, we all know no thief is going to actually break the
law by illegally downloading software, right?)

[Twisted]

You realize, of course, that all the thief, assuming he actually knows how to run computers, has to do is either:

o Open it is "Safe Mode" or
o Copy over your HD with a fresh bootleg copy of Windows
(but then, we all know no thief is going to actually break the
law by illegally downloading software, right?)

It’s not 100% foolproof as far as knowledgeable people being able to use it for themselves.
Anybody could just fdisk and reinstall the OS. That’s not what this is about.

The idea was meant to ensure that personal stuff is kept away from prying eyes in the event of a loss. (Like your browser history, photos, bank account info etc) As well as to eliminate access to your email accounts which most likely logs-on automatically. Imagine the headache if an A-hole with full email access and a few hours to play could cause. And, if need be, try to wreak havoc on the OS making it unbootable, further protecting any personal data.

Combine this with the additional satisfaction of nailing the thief….

Plus booting in safe mode doesn’t help the thief…
Granted the camera, VPN and PCanywhere software won’t load, but then he doesn’t know they are installed anyway, so would have no need to boot into safe mode. Besides, he just ends up in safe mode staring at a blinking cursor at the password screen anyway.

and what is this illegal software, of which you speak??? :wink: :wink: :wink: :wink: :wink: :wink: :wink: :wink:

[mikez]

The idea was meant to ensure that personal stuff is kept away from prying eyes in the event of a loss.

Ans: TrueCrypt

But before going over-board with the high tech stuff - do a personal audit of the low tech stuff;
Check what information you carry with you everyday in your purse or wallet.
Ask: What harm can this do? Ask: Do I need all of this with me?

[Warder]

As mikez suggested, try truecrypt out. It's pretty simple to use and totally free: http://www.truecrypt.org/. Make sure anything that is really important is encrypted!

Also for those of you looking for something a bit easier to setup, I have an adobe air app called Notebook Beacon that can help you with recovering a laptop: https://www.laptoptheftrecovery.com/about.php

Eventually I hope to add remote file recovery/deletion as well, but for now it just phones phone back to that site and can also send pics back. It runs on Windows, Linux and Mac, but the Mac version has a bug where it pops up every time it phones home. Not sure why yet.

[nogoodnick]

Besides, he just ends up in safe mode staring at a blinking cursor at the password screen anyway.

Hate to inform you, but probably the First thing a thief would do would be to run in Safe Mode. That's because it doesn't prompt for passwords there! That's the first thing they tell you when you forget your computer's passwords. And, if they go there to reset the passwords, all your special apps. won't fly (although hopefully they would the next time they booted up).

Not to be such a downer but I'm just telling you that most thieves already know how to break things. Still, it's a good thing you're trying. Just don't rely on System Passwords to do it.

[Warder]

Only xp home will let you reset it as the hidden admin account will show up in safe mode - so log in and set a password for it! (still doesn't stop someone from using ophcrack)

[nikoladd]

This is a fairly low chance of success plan.

For example I have a passphrase on my wifi connection, which means I can play a lot with the laptop before even going near to the chance of you having any connection to it. Further most wifi connections actually have firewalls, which means that the laptop should try to connect to you and not the opposite. Further having the IP doesn't actually help you much in an university campus for example.

I would suggest laser etching as a better one Or hiding a GPS transmitter in the device