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View Full Version : Someone was thinking!!!



sugarrey
Mon Sep 28th, 2009, 11:14 AM
So I just got a new macbook laptop and was looking thru some of the new snow leopard applications and came across "UNDERCOVER", not sure if this is new or old but it is the smartest piece of software that I have seen EVER.

If your macbook is stolen it:

-Undercover transmits network information, enabling our recovery center to accurately track and locate your stolen Mac within a range of 10-20 meters.

-Will send screenshots of your stolen Mac at regular intervals. These screenshots will sooner or later reveal the thief's identity (e.g. when chatting, reading and writing emails,...) making it much easier to work with law enforcement in order to recover your Mac.

-Transmit pictures of the thief and his surroundings every 6 minutes, making it even easier to identify the current user. It's like having a private detective working for you.

-Undercover has an ingenious plan B. It will simulate a hardware failure by gradually making the screen darker until it becomes unusable within 30', even when the Mac is not online. This erratic behaviour should urge the thief to either sell the Mac (e.g. on eBay) or bring it to an authorized Apple reseller. Because we continuously monitor the network settings of a stolen Mac, we can easily detect when the Mac is sold or returned to a Mac shop.

-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 will be displayed as well. Additionally, your Mac will start shouting this message. Because of the message Undercover displays, technicians will quickly notice that the Mac has been stolen. As soon as you get back your Mac, we will remove it from our database of stolen Macs. Your Mac will immediately start to behave normally, as if nothing happened. 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.

-Undercover routinely checks whether the Mac it is running on is reported as stolen. Unlike any other theft recovery software on the market, Undercover will not send any identifying information from your Mac to our server if your Mac has not been stolen.

-Also, you cant just format the hard-drive if you have a firmware master password, so that is not an option either.

Like I said, this technology is new to me and is way too ingenious!!!!! Thought I would share!

Guess you could have someone change out the drive, but that would cost money and I am guessing punk ass thieves dont have it so I think it is a formidable option to lojack!

Devaclis
Mon Sep 28th, 2009, 11:16 AM
That is pretty sweet :)

DevilsTonic
Mon Sep 28th, 2009, 11:30 AM
That is pretty sweet! That must be something new for the laptops.

asp_125
Mon Sep 28th, 2009, 11:33 AM
Pretty sweet! But HOW does it know it's been stolen and not just being shared with someone? Fingerprint reader? Password?

Pandora-11
Mon Sep 28th, 2009, 11:34 AM
Is this only on the new ones? My two year old Macbook was stolen from our home burglary last Sept.

sugarrey
Mon Sep 28th, 2009, 11:52 AM
Upon installation, you'll receive an Undercover ID that's unique for the Mac you are installing Undercover on. This ID is very important: it will enable you to start the theft-recovery process. Note that for your own privacy, we can not monitor or recover your Mac without this code.

Routine checks
When your Mac is online, Undercover routinely checks whether the Mac it is running on is reported as stolen. Unlike any other theft recovery software on the market, Undercover will not send any identifying information from your Mac to our server if your Mac has not been stolen. This makes the entire concept more secure and respects your privacy.

In case of theft
As soon as your Mac is stolen, you send us the Undercover ID you received upon registration. We will add this code to our list of stolen Macs.

Looks like you contact them and they ad your ID to the list stolen list and the process starts.

sugarrey
Mon Sep 28th, 2009, 11:53 AM
Its for IPHONES and MACBOOKS

And it says it works for TIGER, LEOPARD and SNOW LEOPARD os's so it goes a few years back.

Sleev
Mon Sep 28th, 2009, 11:56 AM
Sounds pretty big brother-ish. What's to keep someone (like say your ex-wife) from reporting it stolen? Also doesn't seem this would work if someone steals it, never hooks it up to a network and sells it on CL.

DorJammer
Mon Sep 28th, 2009, 01:54 PM
The only problem with this whole thing is you would have to actually buy a Mac. They a teh ghey :hump:

sugarrey
Mon Sep 28th, 2009, 01:59 PM
I used to think the same thing after 25 years of having pc's. After getting pissed off at Vista I went and bought a mac, and I WILL NEVER go back to a PC. I work on them now, but ill never use one again if I can help it.

LambeauXLIV
Mon Sep 28th, 2009, 02:26 PM
What if you want to accomplish something?

sugarrey
Mon Sep 28th, 2009, 02:28 PM
You can accomplish "something" with a PC, but if you want to accomplish "something" faster and more efficiently, use a MAC.

BAM!!!! :)

Zach929rr
Mon Sep 28th, 2009, 02:29 PM
They both play porn the same. Null argument.

sugarrey
Mon Sep 28th, 2009, 02:32 PM
actually the mac plays porn better (most full screen and better quality) and with NO viruses...so actually MAC is better!

And if you wanna be really gay, the mac will run your windows software faster than your pc.

LambeauXLIV
Mon Sep 28th, 2009, 02:36 PM
http://www.pcauthority.com.au/Feature/92605,32-reasons-why-pcs-are-better-than-macs.aspx

sugarrey
Mon Sep 28th, 2009, 02:43 PM
Done in 2007 in Australia and must've been a bumbling idiot. The majority of the things listed there are simply NOT true.

If you want to play games and spend hundreds on virus/spam/malware protection stick with your PC.

I love that we can have this conversation, because 2 years ago I was saying the same thing. I love it!

LambeauXLIV
Mon Sep 28th, 2009, 02:46 PM
As far as virus/spam/malware...if you don't go where you shouldn't then most likely you'll be fine. If not, I can wipe my computer and reinstall a fresh copy of windows in a few hours...can you do that?

sugarrey
Mon Sep 28th, 2009, 02:49 PM
As far as virus/spam/malware...if you don't go where you shouldn't then most likely you'll be fine. If not, I can wipe my computer and reinstall a fresh copy of windows in a few hours...can you do that?

Everyone goes where they're not supposed to don't we? Sure, I can wipe and reload with no issues, but with a mac I should never have to do that. Let me ask you something. If you could run all your windows applications plus any window os on a mac would you? If not, why?

Zach929rr
Mon Sep 28th, 2009, 02:49 PM
If not, I can wipe my computer and reinstall a fresh copy of windows in a few hours...can you do that?

Shit, I do that every 6-8 months just to keep it running in tip-top.

LambeauXLIV
Mon Sep 28th, 2009, 02:52 PM
To be honest, the real reason I would choose PC over Mac is the fact that I can make my computer into whatever I want it to be without too much effort / price.

I just upgraded my processor a couple months ago. It cost about $90. In the process of upgrading, I needed to re-flash my BIOS. So I simply plugged in a floppy drive to my computer, made the disk, flashed the BIOS, installed the processor, and I was up and running. Let's see you do that with a Mac.

sugarrey
Mon Sep 28th, 2009, 02:59 PM
I hear ya Lamb. I am guessing those things can be done on a mac although I have never done them.

All I can say is that I was a diehard PC fan until I got a mac. The reason was I was trying to contact someone at Microsoft about an issue I was having with Vista (when it first came out) and after 1.5 hours on the phone I got someone but I couldnt understand them. Took the PC back and bought a mac and I have been in love ever since. Now every once in awhile I have to use my gf's HP and I cant stand it, everything just seems so much more complicated and I have the way windows thinks it knows what you want and does shit on its own (vista). I dont mind XP as much.

I am sure there is an argument both ways, and the discussion we are having will go on for years.

LambeauXLIV
Mon Sep 28th, 2009, 03:02 PM
Yeah...If it wasn't for needing Microsoft Office and playing the occasional game, I probably wouldn't be running windows at all. I try and use Ubuntu for everything, and I have been very pleased.

sugarrey
Mon Sep 28th, 2009, 03:05 PM
when i searched google for ubuntu look what i found.....try it

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://algatux.files.wordpress.com/2007/07/ubuntu-logo.jpg&imgrefurl=http://maisonbisson.com/blog/post/12402/user-contributed-ubuntu-logo/&h=326&w=450&sz=30&tbnid=SGpmebwXo5YwkM:&tbnh=92&tbnw=127&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dubuntu%253F&usg=__psVpphf8hA30H8rCxmHZnIF88Do=&ei=sCTBSsnXBYn-sgOs-MhD&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=4&ct=image

LambeauXLIV
Mon Sep 28th, 2009, 03:06 PM
see...it's just that much better

(if I saw what I think I saw...I closed it promptly as to not be seen at work)

t_jolt
Mon Sep 28th, 2009, 03:07 PM
Hackers just like the PC more.


Regardless of which side you're on (though as a true computing enthusiast, you shouldn't be taking sides), you've heard the arguments back and forth on the which operating system is truly safer – Mac OS X or Windows.
It is of the opinion of Charlie Miller, a well known Mac security guru, that even Snow Leopard, the latest version of Mac OS X, isn't as safe as Windows.
One key point is that Snow Leopard still doesn't have ASLR, or address space layout randomization, which randomly arranges the position of key data making it harder for hackers to target for exploits.
Miller said to TechWorld (http://news.techworld.com/security/3201863/snow-leopard-less-secure-than-windows-says-hacker/) that Apple didn't change the ASLR from 10.5 to 10.6: "Apple didn't change anything. It's the exact same ASLR as in Leopard, which means it's not very good."
Apple didn’t completely missed the chance to tighten up security in Snow Leopard though, as the new QuickTime solves a lot of the issues that Mac OS X had before.
"Apple rewrote a bunch of QuickTime," said Miller, "which was really smart, since it's been the source of lots of bugs in the past."
One thing that Snow Leopard did adapt, which Windows has had since XP SP2, is DEP (data execution prevention). With DEP, buffer overflow attacks are much harder to execute.
Despite Miller's opinion that Windows is the more secure OS, the large install based of Microsoft-based systems make them a much more attractive target for hackers. Still, Miller would like to see security on all platforms.
"Snow Leopard's more secure than Leopard, but it's not as secure as Vista or Windows 7," he said. "When Apple has both [in place], that's when I'll stop complaining about Apple's security."

sugarrey
Mon Sep 28th, 2009, 03:14 PM
I just searched the same thing and saw an answer that led me to believe otherwise: is mac os more secure than windows and I got an answer that said the exact opposite. Basically in the article it talks about mac not having to be as secure (virus/spam/malware) because there are no apparent threats. Microsoft has better security because there are MORE security risks out there attacking it, makes sense!

As the mac gets more mainstream things will change I am sure. Like I said, I am sure there are arguments both ways.

Zach929rr
Mon Sep 28th, 2009, 03:15 PM
Would you two put your edicks away.

LambeauXLIV
Mon Sep 28th, 2009, 03:16 PM
I'm sorry...but I just can't take you seriously with that avatar :lol:

Zach929rr
Mon Sep 28th, 2009, 03:17 PM
ok mr.xkcd :D

LambeauXLIV
Mon Sep 28th, 2009, 03:18 PM
Yours just cracks me up

Sean
Mon Sep 28th, 2009, 03:18 PM
They both play porn the same. Null argument.:shocked: Wow, a chance to dig in on Mac's and you didn't take it! Are you feeling okay?

Zach929rr
Mon Sep 28th, 2009, 03:20 PM
Sean, you know if it was you OP'ing this thread, I would have been all over it with "Max r 4 fagz" and "Underwater Basket Weaving, PhD"

Sean
Mon Sep 28th, 2009, 03:21 PM
Nope, looks like you are feeling a-okay. :up:

btw, don't like the software; to controlling.

sugarrey
Mon Sep 28th, 2009, 03:34 PM
Nope, looks like you are feeling a-okay. :up:

btw, don't like the software; to controlling.

to controlling? never heard that before. in what way?

Sean
Mon Sep 28th, 2009, 03:51 PM
to controlling? never heard that before. in what way?Seriously? Screen shots, locating the laptop within 20 yards of location, transmitting pics from the camera, displaying messages on the screen, not letting you format the hard drive. All of this is great IF the laptop is stolen. But who says information isn't being gathered all of the time. The program gives a moderator complete access and control to your computer. Who is getting this information? As someone said above, a little to "big Brother" for my taste.

Zach929rr
Mon Sep 28th, 2009, 04:06 PM
.

As someone said above, a little to "big Brother" for my taste.

a little to "big Brother" for my taste.

to "big Brother"

to

Sean
Mon Sep 28th, 2009, 04:13 PM
All of that for a small grammatical error? You need to get out more Zach. :(

Zach929rr
Mon Sep 28th, 2009, 04:21 PM
I just enjoy busting your chops that much.

DorJammer
Mon Sep 28th, 2009, 04:22 PM
Trolling sucess rating 9/10!

Sean
Mon Sep 28th, 2009, 04:25 PM
Trolling sucess rating 9/10!:wtf:

sugarrey
Tue Sep 29th, 2009, 05:58 PM
Seriously? Screen shots, locating the laptop within 20 yards of location, transmitting pics from the camera, displaying messages on the screen, not letting you format the hard drive. All of this is great IF the laptop is stolen. But who says information isn't being gathered all of the time. The program gives a moderator complete access and control to your computer. Who is getting this information? As someone said above, a little to "big Brother" for my taste.

Ohh, I got ya. I thought you were talking about mac operating system or the mac in general.

I hear ya.

DorJammer
Wed Sep 30th, 2009, 12:47 AM
:wtf:

do not feel bad... the only way to get a ten out of ten is to get a Linux geek involved...

this is the oldest troll in the books :cyber:

Sean
Wed Sep 30th, 2009, 07:41 AM
Ohh, I got ya. I thought you were talking about mac operating system or the mac in general.:up: Nope, I love the Mac OS.


do not feel bad... the only way to get a ten out of ten is to get a Linux geek involved...

this is the oldest troll in the books :cyber:And again...:wtf: No idea what you're talking about. No need to try and explain.

Zach929rr
Wed Sep 30th, 2009, 09:16 AM
:up: Nope, I love the Mac OS.

And again...:wtf: No idea what you're talking about. No need to try and explain.

picardfacepalm.jpg

He saying that the MacvPc debate is always troll worthy, even if Jeff didn't know he was trolling, and the only way for it to get better would be for a linux guy to join the pissing match. Make sense?

LambeauXLIV
Wed Sep 30th, 2009, 09:22 AM
I think I mentioned linux...

:D

Zach929rr
Wed Sep 30th, 2009, 09:25 AM
I think I mentioned linux...

:D

Briefly, but you did not come with enough force young grasshoppa.

LambeauXLIV
Wed Sep 30th, 2009, 09:28 AM
LINUXISTHEMUTEHRFUCKINGBEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
NEONEWHODOESNTUSEITISANOOOOOOOOOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!

better?

Zach929rr
Wed Sep 30th, 2009, 09:30 AM
You are progressing nicely.

Gooooooooooooooood.
http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/2/26518/1013045-familyguy_good20good_super.gif

LambeauXLIV
Wed Sep 30th, 2009, 09:31 AM
just think if I had used 0's for o and 3's for e! :shocked:

Sean
Wed Sep 30th, 2009, 09:31 AM
He saying that the MacvPc debate is always troll worthy, even if Jeff didn't know he was trolling, and the only way for it to get better would be for a linux guy to join the pissing match. Make sense?My post was going to actually say, "Don't bother explaining, because I really don't give a shit." However, I don't know that guy, so there is no need to be a dick. But for you Zach, I will happily relay the unedited post. :up:

I didn't really think this was a Mac/PC debate, simply just about some software that Sugarrey posted about.

Zach929rr
Wed Sep 30th, 2009, 09:38 AM
:)

That is some pretty cool software though, definitely in its infant stages. I definitely agree with the aforementioned "Omgz big brothar", but just think how happy you would be to get your stolen $1200+ Macbook (or w/e) back and bag the thief at the same time.

DorJammer
Wed Sep 30th, 2009, 10:34 PM
My post was going to actually say, "Don't bother explaining, because I really don't give a shit." However, I don't know that guy, so there is no need to be a dick. But for you Zach, I will happily relay the unedited post. :up:

I didn't really think this was a Mac/PC debate, simply just about some software that Sugarrey posted about.

Sorry Bro;
shitty snark that is too old to play.

I owe you a beer, and some wings; lets meet over at Pipers Inn on Parker Road.

tell me when you want to meet an old fart and eat some good wings

Zach929rr
Wed Sep 30th, 2009, 10:44 PM
^^ Is said old fart buying said wangs?

DorJammer
Wed Sep 30th, 2009, 10:50 PM
^^ Is said old fart buying said wangs?

Yes, yes I am, the first 2 dozen are on me, as well as the first pitcher.

Who wants to join me at Pipers and give the Harley guys the evil eye?:crazy::crazy:

Zach929rr
Wed Sep 30th, 2009, 10:51 PM
placeandtime. :)

DorJammer
Wed Sep 30th, 2009, 10:54 PM
Any time on the week end, but Shinyside up has to be there too, he is the one I offended

Sean
Thu Oct 1st, 2009, 07:41 AM
Any time on the week end, but Shinyside up has to be there too, he is the one I offendedNo worries man, I wasn't offended at all :up: That's the great thing about public forums, we can all say what we want (as long as Ralph says it's okay). And thanks to the fine folks at the CSC, my skins a bit thicker, so it would take a fair amount to offend me. Although Zach does it all of the time, but he's a dick, so it's okay. :doublefinger:

Zach929rr
Thu Oct 1st, 2009, 09:52 AM
^ :lol:

I'll get some wingdings with you Jammer. Shiney is up in Boulder, so he may be a little hard pressed to come down here for wangs, I mean wings.

Sean
Thu Oct 1st, 2009, 09:54 AM
Shiney is up in BoulderIf you're going to be a pain in the ass and call me out, all of the time; here's to you! :slappers:

Zach929rr
Thu Oct 1st, 2009, 09:56 AM
Would Hippyland be more appropriate?

Or maybe Weedville?

Or BasketWeave, Co?

DorJammer
Fri Oct 2nd, 2009, 04:14 PM
^ :lol:

I'll get some wingdings with you Jammer. Shiney is up in Boulder, so he may be a little hard pressed to come down here for wangs, I mean wings.

looking forward to it!

down with the pig flu right now:(, will see when I get better