Sitting on my sofa reading up on new security software I began to reflect on the security software and hardware that I use on a regular basis to protect my most valuable assets. I rarely think twice about the security mechanisms in place to recover my valuable possessions and priceless data but am reminded about how important this software and hardware can be when I read a report about a stolen laptop or missing iPhone where the victim has no tracking or recovery tools in place.
I’m not wanting to dive into specific details nor am I endorsing any of these products but I do want to give you a general idea of what is out there and, specifically, what I use to protect my property.
- Vehicles
- OnStar
General Motors provides a service call “OnStar” that uses global positioning data (GPS) transmitted via cellular networks to track and recover stolen vehicles (1). OnStar also provides additional services such as hands-free calling and navigation via the OnStar system. To check if your vehicle is OnStar capable visit: http://www.onstar.com/web/portal/newvehicles or http://www.onstar.com/web/portal/preownedvehicles. My personal experience with OnStar has been very positive. I’ve activated the OnStar service on my wife’s vehicle and she uses it regularly to report accidents and get vehicle maintenance reports. Hopefully we’ll never have to use it in a theft. - Lojack
I don’t use this service on any of my vehicles but there is also Lojack. Lojack works by utilizing a radio transmitter that, when activated, allows law enforcement officers equipped with a Lojack tracking unit to track your vehicle to a specific location. One benefit of Lojack is that it doesn’t require “line of sight” to work. Lojack uses radio which can work indoors unlike GPS which requires line of sight to the sky to communicate with GPS satellites (2). You can view the Lojack automotive page here: http://www.lojack.com/car/pages/car.aspx
- OnStar
- Computers
- Lojack for Laptops
I mentioned a tracking system for vehicles called Lojack. Absolute Software provides a computer tracking solution called “Lojack for Laptops”. Don’t confuse Lojack for Laptops (LfL) with the Lojack for automobiles as LfL doesn’t use a radio transmitter to track your hardware. LfL uses software installed on the computer to report information such as IP address (your “address” used to identify your computer on the Internet) and location via IP address and GPS*. LfL also enables the owner/user to remotely delete data on the stolen computer in the event that you have sensitive data that you don’t want in the hands of a thief (3). Some computers have additional systems in place to allow the tracking software from LfL to automatically re-install in the even that the system’s hard drive is erased or replaced. This adds an additional layer of protection to mobile computers. These systems are integrated into the computer’s BIOS from the system manufacturer (4). More information about Absolute’s Lojack for Laptops can be found here: http://www.absolute.com/en/
- Apple’s “MobileMe”
When my wife and I purchased our iPhones we signed up for Apple’s MobileMe. MobileMe provides many resources to the iPhone user such as wireless data synchronization but for me, more importantly, “Find My iPhone”. Find My iPhone uses cellular data to display an approximate location of the iPhone in question. In addition to locating the iPhone, Find My iPhone also allows the user remotely lock the phone (in the event that you have not set a passcode lock on the device) and, if all else fails, the ability to remotely erase all data on the phone. Find My iPhone can be very useful to law enforcement in the event of a theft… just don’t go looking for the phone yourself; leave it to the pros. More information about MobileMe can be found at http://www.me.com
- Lojack for Laptops
Of the four solutions I’ve listed the only one I don’t use for myself is Lojack (for automobiles). I have used Lojack as a law enforcement officer and tracked a stolen vehicle using the Lojack tracking equipment (I did locate the stolen vehicle). I’ve used OnStar to locate a stolen vehicle as well and it is spot-on when it comes to location. The dispatcher was able to communicate with OnStar’s customer support and give me an exact intersection that the vehicle was close to. I have also used Lojack for Laptops to recover a handful of stolen laptops from a school here in New Orleans. Though I didn’t recover the computers myself, I did take the initial report and assist the school in reporting the laptops stolen to Absolute. The laptops were recovered a short time later in a neighboring parish.
It is important to remember that these services are not free. It is equally important to remember that these services require installation or activation before a theft occurs.
I’m sure there are more services out there that I don’t know about but as for now I’ll stick to the ones I’ve listed above as they seem to be the most reliable and the ones I’m most familiar with.
1: http://www.onstar.com/web/portal/onstartechnology
2: http://www.lojack.com/car/pages/car-works.aspx
3: http://www.absolute.com/en/lojackforlaptops/technology.aspx
4: http://developernet.absolute.com/products-bios-enabled-computers.asp
*I’m still trying to figure out how the GPS portion of LfL works. LfL lists “Geotechnology” as an additional took in tracking a stolen computer but I can’t find any specific details on how it works or how to configure GPS tracking. See: http://www.absolute.com/en/lojackforlaptops/features.aspx



