[luau] Be on the lookout for Stolen laptops
Tom_Gordon/RISE/HIDOE at notes.k12.hi.us
Tom_Gordon/RISE/HIDOE at notes.k12.hi.us
Thu Mar 11 10:15:01 PST 2004
Theres retail products available for notebook recovery (must be
implimented prior to theft). Some involve GPS while others are just
stickers or insurance etc. Putting identifying marks on the laptop do not
hurt ( http://www.honolulupd.org/community/opid.htm ). Report it stolen
to the police with all this info, pictures recommended. Then you can
check HPD Evidence/Lost and Found at 529-3283. They used to have an
online lsiting but not anymore.
I would try to avoid it in the first place. By using smartcards you could
really piss-off the thieves so they end-up asking a smart person for help
reconfiguring it (and increase chances that it'll get turned-in).
Fujitsu/Seimens notebooks (and even sceneic desktops w/ a optional reader)
supported smartcard auth in the bios. Combine that with a really small
lifebook and it would be very difficult hack the bios, etc.
the white paper on it is here:
http://support.fujitsu-siemens.de/SecurityCD/Docu/UK/PC-Security/wp_systemlock_e.pdf
Tom
"R. Scott Belford" <scott at belford.net>
Sent by: luau-admin at videl.ics.hawaii.edu
03/11/04 09:29 AM
Please respond to luau
To: luau at videl.ics.hawaii.edu
cc:
Subject: Re: [luau] Be on the lookout for Stolen laptops
Ronald Willis wrote:
> Does anyone know if these unfortunate travelers had a beacon installed
or if
> they
> have record of a mac address?
This reminded me of a great article I found on /. in 2002. I hunted it
down
http://macscripter.net/unscripted/unscripted.php?id=12_0_1_0_C
They didn't use the mac address, but they did find the stolen laptop.
I will always remember the very nice iBook one of the cashiers at Price
Busters showed me and said that her cousin had bought it for only $200,
without the power supply. It was so hot I wouldn't even touch it. I
asked her to please report it.
What stands out is that the thief did not take the laptop to a shop, he
sold it as is to a friend, who then gave it to his cousin, the cashier,
so that she could as her company's "computer guy." If these laptops
take a similar route, I fear that it would be hard to recover them.
This makes me wonder, and perhaps some of you have an answer, what is
the best way to get your laptop back if it is stolen? I suppose that if
one can boot off of a cd and re-install, all bets are off. Does anyone
out there have a strategy or a technology in place to prevent this?
--scott
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