MacWorld 2009: orbicules track stolen Macs
The Belgian software orbicules increased protection systems against the theft of Macs into a higher gear with the launch of the 3.0 software Undercover at the MacWorld Expo.
Available in two weeks, this system was designed to locate the stolen Mac and report their location to the police.
The latest version of this tool is integrated with Skyhook, a system of geographic information using triangulation points from Wi-Fi included.
When a user alert orbicules flight on a Mac, the company records the machine stolen on its server. Each time the Mac connects to the Internet, Skyhook looking unique ID on the server. If this ID is registered as stolen, the application communicates its location, it can identify points from Wi-Fi local inscribed on Skyhook.
Subterfuge for serial detection
“We can determine the location of machines stolen within a radius of 20 meters, which enables us to provide the police with very specific information,” said Peter Schols, an engineer at orbicules. “We no longer need to consult the ISP to correlate the IP address and geographical location. We can now obtain the location directly through the machine.”
If the Mac is unable to give details of its geopositioning, orbicules use other options to assist the law enforcement to gather the information necessary for its location.
The application uses the built-in iSight camera to the Mac to send all six minutes of photos orbicules servers in order to photograph the thief. She also regularly sends copies of screen, allowing the company to try to gather information such as e-mail addresses and account numbers that could be used by the thief.
Finally, it simulates a hardware failure by darkening the screen to prompt the thief to make his machine repairer. When it detects the machine is used on a different network, it displays an alert in order to prevent the technicians in charge of the relief it was stolen.
