Laptops UK
 
 
New Software to Help Fight Laptop Thieves
Fri, 03 Oct 2008
New software has been unveiled that could help to track down stolen laptops . The software is called Adeona – inspired by the Roman goddess of safe returns – and regularly reports the laptop’s IP address to a web vault visible only to the laptop’s owner. The open source service is free to download and can help users to track the location of their laptop, though unlike other device tracking applications, the service doesn’t need a proprietary ensuring that user’s IP logs aren’t viewed by a third party. Even if the portal was hacked, the laptop’s IP log would remain confidential as the data is coded and can only be accessed using the password set by the owner of the laptop. The software is particularly useful for owners of Apple Macs, as the software allows a head shot to be taken of the user via the built in camera, giving police an immediate suspect.

Adeona’s co-author, Tadavoshi Kohno, said, ‘We wanted to build a tool that allows you to track the location of your laptop but at the same time doesn't allow someone else to track you. Typically when you create a forensics trail, you leave breadcrumbs that you can see, but so can everyone else. We've created a private forensics trail where only you can see those breadcrumbs."