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See the guy who stole your macbook

orbicule.com — Undercover, a piece of software for macs, can now take pictures of a thief if you install it on your macbook or macook pro using the built-in iSight camera. Assuming it doesn't overheat first.

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  • dizdaz89, on 10/12/2007, -4/+16Great Idea
    • Mongoose, on 10/12/2007, -1/+17Agreed. I'd be interested to see if this makes thieves think twice before stealing a Macbook. Assuming thieves would even know about this feature.. I don't think the average pilferer would be too keen on third-party Mac apps.
    • jono1, on 10/12/2007, -41/+3Great idea except for the camera can't see through the main body of the laptop. All the thief has to do is close the lid, problem solved!
    • catoutfit, on 10/12/2007, -1/+31sounds pretty cool but, I don't understand one thing

      "Undercover will show a full-screen message alerting the reseller or someone who bought the Mac from the thief that the Mac has been stolen, that it has become unusable and that it needs to be returned as soon as possible. Our contact information and a promise for a finder's fee..."

      how does it make sure this alert only comes up when a technician comes up and not when the theif is using it...
    • ross., on 10/12/2007, -3/+17Since the software can't be disabled, wouldn't the thief just need to install a new hard drive and full functionality would be restored?
    • catoutfit, on 10/12/2007, -5/+23"Since the software can't be disabled, wouldn't the thief just need to install a new hard drive and full functionality would be restored?"

      They could probably just reformat the drive..
    • cr3ative, on 10/12/2007, -0/+40@catoutfit: "how does it make sure this alert only comes up when a technician comes up and not when the theif is using it..."

      They have a database of Apple Center IP's, and when the net is connected from one, the message appears
    • catoutfit, on 10/12/2007, -1/+37"Great idea except for the camera can't see through the main body of the laptop. All the thief has to do is close the lid, problem solved!"

      Yeah I LOVE using my laptop with the lid closed, far more productive.

      ps cr3ative, thank you for answering my question
    • lava, on 10/12/2007, -4/+17Cool, now I know how to be careful when I steal my next mac.
    • jono1, on 10/12/2007, -36/+2"Yeah I LOVE using my laptop with the lid closed, far more productive."

      Yes, of course, someone's going to steal it from you *while* you're using it, in which case
      a) the camera is pointed at you
      b) you can see what the thief looks like the old-fashioned way.
    • Ireland, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7What happens if the thief sells the Mac on to someone else, without connecting to the internet himself. Then the guy or gal who buys that Mac ends up in court desperately trying to prove that they weren't the thief :P

      Still it's one of the most ingenious ideas to help protect against those bastard thieves i've ever heard!
    • RMuffin, on 10/12/2007, -3/+8"Since the software can't be disabled, wouldn't the thief just need to install a new hard drive and full functionality would be restored?"

      They could probably just reformat the drive..

      "Undercover can not be disabled by the thief. If you install Apple's firmware password, your Mac can not be formatted without knowing your firmware password."

      Nope, they couldn't.

      Great idea of a program, somthing to think about if I ever get a laptop and have to choose between Mac and Windows.
    • Yoshi39, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4"
      "Undercover can not be disabled by the thief. If you install Apple's firmware password, your Mac can not be formatted without knowing your firmware password."

      Nope, they couldn't."
      Couldn't you just remove the battery to reset the nvram?
    • delinka, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4"...finder's fee..." So the thief steals the laptop only to return it to collect the fee, claiming of course that he's not the original thief.

      Ingenious.
    • Eaglefire, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7The NV in NVRAM stands for "Non-Volatile". This means it cannot be erased by a power loss.
    • tuxuser, on 10/12/2007, -10/+4over heat my ass
    • PathDaemon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5"Undercover can not be disabled by the thief. If you install Apple's firmware password, your Mac can not be formatted without knowing your firmware password."

      I know that on the PPC macs, changing the hardware (ex. removing a RAM stick) and then holding cmd+opt+p+r on startup until two chimes sound, then restoring the original configuration resets the password.
    • hmniq, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0"Yeah I LOVE using my laptop with the lid closed, far more productive."

      You can hook up an external display, mouse, and keyboard. Of course, that doesn't prevent screenshots from being sent. :)
    • amasiancrasian, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0In response to catoutfit, not only do they have Apple Center IPs, but assuming the computer has a built-in camera such as iSight, they can detect whether or not the PC has changed possession or owners.
  • gbob, on 10/12/2007, -6/+13This is a cool idea, but how does Plan B work? How does it know when to show the full-screen message to the reseller/buyer and not the thief?

    "Assuming it doesn't overheat first." Nice jab!
    • EmileVictor, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7I'm guessing that it's based upon the ISP that mac shops use. Maybe they have a database of the IPs Applecentres use, and if the ISP of the computer matches that of an apple store, they'll activate Plan B.
    • obeattie, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3Well.. you would know what the theif looked like from the iSight. See a guy in an apple uniform and you can be pretty confident that he's an Apple Technician.
    • yogiincork, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3ROTFL - do you really think technicians @ an AASP wear apple uniforms?
  • devindotcom, on 10/12/2007, -4/+24That's really great. But I feel mischief coming on...

    What if your bitter ex-girlfriend knows your undercover number? You sign onto a wifi network at a coffee shop and all of a sudden "YOU BASTARD! AND WITH MY SISTER, THATS FILTHY!" in a Fred voice..
    • catoutfit, on 10/12/2007, -1/+20everyone would think it was an angry voicemail from Steven Hawking.
    • EmileVictor, on 10/12/2007, -8/+4"Stop that, that's filthay!"
    • ywong137, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0[Stephen Hawking voice]
      "You are using...a stolen... Macbook. Please return it to...Mister...Joe Smith."
  • SouthernDigger, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Lojack for a MAC... great call!
  • cantaclaro, on 10/12/2007, -31/+9This is retarded, who the hell doesn't have a username and a password, the thief would never make it past the login screen.

    This means the thief wouldn't be able to connect to the internet, nor would this ***** program have a chance to start up. This is the stupidest idea since the Sony Memory Stick/UMD/MD.
    • wastern, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4OS X defaults to auto-login. hence it would work.
    • ohmar, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2Thats is why you make a Guest account or them to sign in through. One without access to your files, but allows them to surf the web.
    • quicksilver, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1yea the key word there is "Default." For the most, people who get this 3d party program will be for security. Then they will most likely have a user name and password for extra security. .
    • bbatsell, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8The process runs as root. The computer simply needs to be on (and not logged in) for it to work. Actually reading the website before commenting helps.
  • Ikey, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9Wow, This is really great, It's rare that somebody gets their laptop back if it's been stolen, but this can save people thousands of dollars!

    Dugg!
  • jpesicka2, on 10/12/2007, -5/+8I'm trying it on my iMac to try it out.
    • delinka, on 10/12/2007, -5/+14From the Department of Redundancy Department?
  • PradaPete, on 10/12/2007, -19/+10Oh what would be really funny if that company just took iSight pictures of the rightful owners while he's jackingoff to Pr0n and make a nice online gallery of the saddest lonelinest geeks.

    hehehe that would be illegal but too much fun to not risk it.

    I'd never give someone access to my iSight, and I even have a girlfriend!
    • zybch, on 10/12/2007, -26/+9Were that to happen, it'd be nice for the app to take a screengrab of what was being displayed at the time.
      I bet a jpeg of Steve Jobs would be high on the list of screengrabs at the time of the jacking off.
      We all know what mac fanboys are like :)
    • davetcg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1That's funny! I modded you guys up even though at -15 it was kind of pointless.

      Rock on.
  • moofree, on 10/12/2007, -6/+20Dammit, I guess I'll have to format the hard drive on every mac I steal from now on.
    • rylin, on 10/12/2007, -2/+10"If you install Apple's firmware password, your Mac can not be formatted without knowing your firmware password."
  • bsander, on 10/12/2007, -13/+26Digg for the "Assuming it doesn't overheat first"
    • ravenmuffin, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Have any MacBooks actually OVER-heated?

      I thought the issue was that certain models got hotter than the owners expected before the fans cut in, and that this was due to thermal paste transferring heat to the aluminum case.

      To my knowledge, this is how they were designed and they are operating within expected parameters. Have there actually been reports of hardware failure from heat?
  • analgesia, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Are there any succes-stories. I mean pictures of course.
  • fartonmyear, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4$25 for a student license. pretty cheap. is this forever or just a year?
    • TCEuk, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4In the FAQ it says:

      "The $29.99 price tag includes everything, there are no annual fees and no hidden costs."

      That's a pretty good deal imo, considering my cell phone company are charging me £5 a month just for insurance!
  • wastern, on 10/12/2007, -7/+9getting hot, isn't the same as overheating.....it doesn't overheat and turn off like some computers... *cough*compaq*cough*. The recent firmware update also cooled them down a lot

    this program has been around for years, you were just looking for a ways to slam macs. way to have no life
  • GeneralFailure, on 10/12/2007, -6/+15digg really needs an 'Oh, snap!' rating.
  • Spanca, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7Interesting idea. I wonder if intelligent thieves could just delete the software before going online though? That's giving them a lot of credit...

    I'm also a tad hesitant about having software that has so much power over the system, with the potential for serious privacy breaches. All it takes is for a false report, or for some devious individual at this company to take control at the other end and they can literally see you and what you're doing on your computer.

    It's also relying heavily on ISPs to cooperate. It just says on the page "they will" help. There's a lot riding on that assumption.

    Nice thinking, but I'll stick to being extra careful with my Macbook Pro.
  • zcreem, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Nice idea, but much better if you the remote for the mac and not some third party. I mean most people have access to a second machine with Net connection so could initiate the picture taking, screw the screen, and (how this works?) inform the honest ebay punter he has bought your Mac.

    So offer me the remote and if I had a mac I would buy.
    • Spanca, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Much better solution I think, as it relies on fewer assumptions that I mentioned above you. You'd still need the help of the ISP though to track down your Mac.
  • catoutfit, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4having thought about this what would be great is if apple bought this up and it auto-installed with every OS install and even IF someone re-installs OS X, the mac will still 'phone home' with the macbooks unique id (im sure there is one of sorts)...
    • sonthiar, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3"having thought about this what would be great is if apple bought this up and it auto-installed with every OS install and even IF someone re-installs OS X, the mac will still 'phone home' with the macbooks unique id (im sure there is one of sorts)..."


      Apple Genuine Validation (OH GOD NO. THIS IS WHY MACS RULE.)
  • JustinLeung, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2They should have this on cell phones and track them down using GPS. Considering the amount of $300+ cell phones out there nowadays and the amount of stolen cell phones.
    • abbott75, on 10/12/2007, -6/+3Nineteen Eighty-Four?
    • catoutfit, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8Two thousand and Gimmie my ***** back
    • Salvo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Mobile phones can be disabled by IMEI Number over the network.
      Here in Australia, the Carriers are hesitant to do this because half the people using the network are using Second Hand or Stolen Handsets. If they started disabling Stolen Phones, they'd loose half their customers.
  • andrewmp, on 10/12/2007, -8/+2One word.. firewall.
  • Infekted, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3im not sure if this is available yet but,
    i'd say a GPS live tracking would be better addition to a loptop in addition to a fingerprint access.
    so you can track it as soon as it dissapear and give the coordinates to the cops.

    and even if someone tried to erase or re-format the loptop. GPS will still prove its yours.
    • Prometheus, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2How does GPS prove it's yours?
    • felchdonkey, on 10/12/2007, -2/+10Because yours is the only one that has "LOPTOP" written across the lid in red Sharpie pen...
    • aniruddha23, on 10/12/2007, -4/+1How is the GPS supposed to send out co-ordinates if the laptop aint connected to the internet.

      And how is the GPS supposed to prove that its urs?
    • JustinLeung, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3GPS doesn't use the Internet/ip addresses. It uses satellites
    • vitriolage, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2GPS is passive, the satellites have no idea where you are. You need another way to output your coordinates which are gathered from your GPS receiver.
  • RobotCitizen, on 10/12/2007, -4/+4Or the thieves will discover masking tape.
    • aniruddha23, on 10/12/2007, -4/+4which just disables isight. u still have to worry abt getting the mac to work.
  • awmitchell, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Brilliant concept ! Good luck to Orbicule.. just ***** that I didn't think of it first !

    http://orbicule.com/undercover/faq.php gives the answers to a bunch of the questions asked above..

    "You can only uninstall Undercover if you know the Administrator password for the given mac."

    "We continuously monitor the IP of the stolen machine and when it changes, we look it up and check whether the new IP belongs to a reseller or Apple store."

    "The $29.99 price tag includes everything, there are no annual fees and no hidden costs."

    "Undercover collects and autodetects the necessary settings to access the Internet even if your firewall requires a password."

    No, I don't work for them, I just read their web site..
  • nextlevel233, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Introducing Theft Sensor : http://orbicule.com/theftsensor/
    • zigziggityzoo, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Which can still be disabled by holding the power button.
  • OmegaNine, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Loe is going to love this!
  • jvierine, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1Steal laptop, open it, format HD on another machine, reinstall OS X (or windows), profit. Nobody takes a picture of you.
    • zigziggityzoo, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Firmware password disables Target Disk Mode, so the ONLY way to format the machine is by opening it up. Good luck with that. I'm experienced at disassembling/reassembling Apple laptops, and it still takes me about 90 minutes to get it right.
    • aniruddha23, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5u think the average thief knows how to do that?
    • eddieroger, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Too bad the new MacBooks have user-removable hard drives. Problem solved.
  • ratzfatz, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5Seems to me that some guys here never "digged" deeper into the Q&A the vendor provides on his site. There's NO WAY to reformat the HD or even boot from another source when the firmware password has been set. Period.
    • jvierine, on 10/12/2007, -6/+1You don't need to boot from another source, that is why you format the HD on another machine. Alternatively, you can reset the NVRAM of the firmware to remove the password.
    • moorem, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Not true, actually - you just have to open up the laptop enough to add or remove RAM. Changing the amount of system RAM clears a firmware password (at least on PPC macs... not sure how EFI works on the Intel Macs.)
  • richbradshaw, on 10/12/2007, -5/+8"See the guy who stole your macbook" - what if it's stolen by a girl, does it not work?
    • aniruddha23, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7In that case it send u her number instead so u can make alternate arrangements
  • moorem, on 10/12/2007, -1/+12I do the same thing for my *nix laptops - they check in with a website and post an entry in a mySQL database through a GET request. This is initiated through "curl" running as a cron job.

    I set the website to respond with an XML file if I think the laptop has been stolen, with instructions on what to run from the command line. I can delete my files, change passwords or system prefs, invoke a CLI app that takes a photo from the iSight (on mac laptops) and email it to me, etc.

    Handy, if not a bit geeky.
  • pabster, on 10/12/2007, -7/+4"Assuming it doesn't overheat first..."

    Priceless.
  • bonoes, on 10/12/2007, -6/+1"If law enforcement fails to recover the stolen Mac, Undercover switches to plan B. In this mode, Undercover will simulate a screen failure, slowly making the Mac's screen unusable. At this point, we think the thief has two options: to send the computer to a reseller for repair, or to get rid of it by selling it on the Net."

    Or throw it away. Or strip it for parts.

    "In either case, Undercover will show a full-screen message alerting the reseller or someone who bought the Mac from the thief that the Mac has been stolen, that it has become unusable and that it needs to be returned as soon as possible."

    How does the laptop know that it's passed from the thiefs hands? Sounds like BS to me.

    "Our contact information and a promise for a finder's fee (which will be covered by us) will be displayed as well. This message can be fully customized by the user and when dismissed, this message will instantly reappear. Additionally, your Mac will start shouting at the highest volume level, using its built-in text-to-speech capabilities. You can decide when Undercover switches to plan B and what message is displayed. Note that this message is NOT displayed to the thief."

    HOW DO THEY KNOW IT'S NOT THE THIEF???
    • gamerzworld, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Maby via the camera........
    • dullin, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1They wait to have an IP from and Apple reseller place (they have a database of them).

      So the only way would be that the thief opens up the laptop in an apple store or something similar.
  • Alex3917, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5I have been using this program for months and it has not noticably affected my system performance at all.
  • mikes, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4Awesome, When I get my macbook I'm definitely going to use this!!! Awesome
  • zezak, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4Digg in spite of "Assuming it doesn't overheat first...."
  • Qtip42, on 10/12/2007, -1/+17my macbook got stolen and this is the picture it sent back: http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/2391/1086278408spoohhoney1kw.jpg







    That god damn bear!
  • benofsky, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2"Even when no one is logged in, Undercover will still phone home because it's a root process that's always active. However, we do recommend to create a dummy account that will enable the thief to play around on your Mac. This account should have a blank password and no admin privileges."
  • titlesaysitall, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Ross-

    "Since the software can't be disabled, wouldn't the thief just need to install a new hard drive and full functionality would be restored?" Open Firmware password?
  • tuxuser, on 10/12/2007, -6/+1prepare to be modded
  • dupswapdrop, on 10/12/2007, -5/+2Why would anyone steal an apple product?
    If you want a used mac just wait for the battery to run out, most mac users toss them and buy a new one, I see them in trash cans all over town.
    And who would buy an old apple for more than a dime?
    • wtf00, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I'm not mac fanboy(but i do like the new black laptop apple release hehe is pretty) but what town is this? so I could go with my shopping cart collect through the trash haha.around my area no one is an idiot to throw a laptop :(
    • PathDaemon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Suggestion: collect some, sell them on eBay. Trust me, you'd get buyers.
  • Phantom784, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0After you steal the laptop, you run it through a proxy server that blocks communication to the apple website, or better yet, fakes it out with "not stolen" responses.
  • TinFoil209, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2The last step would apple updating the firmware/EFI to notice if the HDs have changed (by Serial Number) and ask for the password or even better direct them to call apple for help and mention error code: you stealing punk tryin to swap drives, ERR!

    If something came like this built into 10.5 that would be the best, there is not many companies that sell laptops woried about the theft end of them. Only to sell you a wannabe bike lock for $49.99
  • aragami, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1and if the theif doesnt connect it to the internet and doesnt have a wifi network near his house what happens then :-p
  • LUElinks, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1http://www.digg.com/apple/Track_your_Stolen_Mac_via_the_Internet
  • recover82, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1the idea is cool. . but there so much wrong with it.
  • SystmBetatester, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0its not very practical, if apple maybe put it in the OS its self then maybe it will be worth it but hey what does apple care? stolen ibook just means you will have to buy another. and it has to connect to the internet before it can even identify if its stolen or not and i dont think macs are that great with wifi... so if the theif has some knowledge he would probably purge the harddrive of useless things.
  • MadMan2k, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1As far as I'm concerned, laptops are just 'things', and things can get stolen, break eventually, etc. Not worth the trouble IMO - if you can't manage physical access to the laptop, and someone with motive to steal it has access to it, it's gonna get stolen.

    There's workarounds for the people who steal the laptop even if this program is installed, and I wouldn't really trust having a process running all the time the laptop is on that has access to the built in web cam, and can take a picture at any minute...
    • Salvo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Yes Laptops are "just things", but in many situations, they are things which are;
      a) Expensive
      b) Contain Sensitive/Irreplacable Data.

      I only have personal data on my Laptop, and it is due for an upgrade anyway, but if it is stolen, I'd be very disappointed. If I had confidential Business Information on a Business Machine, I'd be even more distressed.
  • xchbla423, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Nice. Too bad it's mac only.
    Of course, the best way to track a stolen notebook would be to install a gps chip.
    That way if they format the drive, sell it or whatever you'll still know where it is.
  • Universal, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1You can always get iAlertU first, than register it with BoomerangIt, than register it with DataDots, than pray.
  • ihatewindows, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1You guys are thinking of way too many "what if's?" many of the lowlifes that steal computers are too stupid to think of the solutions you guys are coming up with. We are coming up with so many "what if's?" because we are actually technologically inclined and are thinking logically. A thief would not think so logically in a theft situation; he would be trying to get the computer to work ASAP.
  • nfg05, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1steal the laptop, put a piece of duct tape over the camera before using it and disabling said software. ridiculously easy to circumvent.
  • colgate, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0A nice idea - but Macbooks already come with their own inbuilt security system - an Intel processor. Just look for the guy running down the street with his pants on fire. Chances are he has your Macbook and was silly enough to place it in his lap.
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