Issue TOC Print full article Print this page Download as PDF E-Mail this URL Flame the author     In this article Introduction The Eighth Commandment Disk-Encryption Software Report Card: Disk Encryption Software Lockdown Devices Report Card: Lockdown Devices Recovery Services Report Card: Recovery Services Executive Summary File-Encryption Products

Products Reviewed: Stealth Security Stealth Signal | Absolute Software Corp. ComputracePlus | zTrace Technologies zTrace Gold 5.0

Computer-tracking services are designed to help recover stolen or missing desktops and laptops. An invisible software agent is loaded on every machine. The computer will send status queries to a central server at set intervals, such as every hour or day. This is all based on IP connections, not a GPS (Global Positioning System) or other physical transmitting device. In other words, it's not LoJack for laptops. And unlike LoJack, there's no money-back guarantee that a machine will be recovered. A smart thief who knows what he or she is looking for could disable these products, as could a low-level format. However, the software is usually hidden well enough that its presence isn't obvious, and most thieves won't look for or notice it.

You alert the tracking service when a machine is stolen, and it puts the computer into recovery mode. In this mode, the software will send status reports more frequently, and on every start-up. The information sent includes machine name, IP address and system details, such as drive space and memory.

You should contact local law enforcement immediately upon realizing the theft. The tracking company cannot contact law enforcement without a police report, and without the police report, the police cannot obtain a search warrant. With luck, the thief will log onto the Internet, letting the stolen computer contact the tracking company's servers. This will inform the tracking service of the thief's IP address and ISP. The police can then request information from the ISP that'll track the user to a particular connection point. This process takes time--a faster method would be to track a phone number to an address. A computer with a modem will attempt to call a toll-free number, connecting to the tracking service's NOC. The NOC can use caller ID to find out the thief's phone number. Caller ID blocking and unlisted numbers do not work when calling a toll-free number. The police can use this information to obtain a search warrant and recover the computer. You do not need to fill out a police report to enable recovery mode, which can be a relief if the computer was just "borrowed" by another employee and not stolen.