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110 Comments
- 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 - 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... - 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.
- 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.. - 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.
- inactive, 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! - 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.
- 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?
- lava, on 10/12/2007, -4/+17Cool, now I know how to be careful when I steal my next mac.
- bsander, on 10/12/2007, -13/+26Digg for the "Assuming it doesn't overheat first"
- dizdaz89, on 10/12/2007, -4/+16Great Idea
- 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. - delinka, on 10/12/2007, -5/+14From the Department of Redundancy Department?
- GeneralFailure, on 10/12/2007, -6/+15digg really needs an 'Oh, snap!' rating.
- 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."
- 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! - 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.
- felchdonkey, on 10/12/2007, -2/+10Because yours is the only one that has "LOPTOP" written across the lid in red Sharpie pen...
- catoutfit, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8Two thousand and Gimmie my ***** back
- 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.
- 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. - Eaglefire, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7The NV in NVRAM stands for "Non-Volatile". This means it cannot be erased by a power loss.
- 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. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Too bad the new MacBooks have user-removable hard drives. Problem solved.
- awmitchell, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Brilliant concept ! Good luck to Orbicule.. just pissed 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.. - SouthernDigger, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Lojack for a MAC... great call!
- 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. - 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! - 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.
- analgesia, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Are there any succes-stories. I mean pictures of course.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7In that case it send u her number instead so u can make alternate arrangements
- fartonmyear, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4$25 for a student license. pretty cheap. is this forever or just a year?
- 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.
- 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! - 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)...
- 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.)
- jpesicka2, on 10/12/2007, -5/+8I'm trying it on my iMac to try it out.
- 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?
- Salvo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Yes 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. - mikes, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4Awesome, When I get my macbook I'm definitely going to use this!!! Awesome
- 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 - 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? - PathDaemon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Suggestion: collect some, sell them on eBay. Trust me, you'd get buyers.
- 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.
- 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? - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5u think the average thief knows how to do that?
- zezak, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4Digg in spite of "Assuming it doesn't overheat first...."
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