Couple Can Sue Laptop-Tracking Company (LoJack) for Spying on Sex Chats

[Dustin]

"FromTheRafters" <erratic.howard@gmail.com> wrote in news:j3mbin$4p4$1
@dont-email.me:

>> Vanguard, You can flatten and rebuild a lojacked system all day long,
>> it's still going to be lojacked when you reload windows. [g]
>
> Would it only persist if it was reloaded with the same OS
> that it was originally installed to work with? Like if it came
> with XP pro and you wiped it and loaded Vista would it only
> have limited functionality or is it capable of upgrading with
> the new OS when it phones home?

Nope. The dropped exe will happily install as a service on any NT based
OS. doesn't matter if you had vista and downgraded it to XP pro. You're
still going to get ****ed in the ass about 10 minutes after it sees an
internet connection go hot. It waits a few minutes, to make sure the
coast is clear. And really, if you don't know lojack, and many don't, you
aren't going far with the stolen lappy. You can switch to linux and avoid
the dropped exe tho. For now. [g]


--
I am a sinner
Hold my prayers upto the sun
I am a sinner
Heaven's closed for what I've done.

[Dustin]

Jenn <me@fakee..mail.com> wrote in news:j3mh2s$aak$1@dont-email.me:

> On 8/31/2011 5:11 PM, FromTheRafters wrote:
>> "Dustin"<bughunter.dustin@gmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:Xns9F52A6126389AHHI2948AJD832@no...
>>> VanguardLH<V@nguard.LH> wrote in
>>> news:j3kjn4$rs$1@news.albasani.net:
>>>
>>>> And, of course, it's always such a smart idea to leave the OS and
>>>> apps and data files in place on any used computer rather than
>>>> flatten and rebuild. Hmm, wonder what her excuse will be if they
>>>> happen to find kiddie porn on the laptop.
>>>
>>> Vanguard, You can flatten and rebuild a lojacked system all day
>>> long, it's still going to be lojacked when you reload windows. [g]
>>
>> Would it only persist if it was reloaded with the same OS
>> that it was originally installed to work with? Like if it came
>> with XP pro and you wiped it and loaded Vista would it only
>> have limited functionality or is it capable of upgrading with
>> the new OS when it phones home?
>>
>>
> Interesting thread... My laptop came with a Lo-jack CD. After
> reading all the discussions so far, I'm wondering what the consensus
> is as far as loading the Lo-jack program onto my laptop?

Once you use that cd, you're laptop bios will have an optionrom added
to it. You keep paying the fees, you can probably get the laptop back
if it's ever stolen. Unless it comes to someone who knows lojack well,
then, really, you wasted your money.

You will be modifying your laptop when you do this, and if the software
ever ****s up, it has full control, you can lose access to your files,
and access to the laptop. You also will be placing trust into
computrace (canadian company) not to spy on you, as they can whenever
they like.


--
I am a sinner
Hold my prayers upto the sun
I am a sinner
Heaven's closed for what I've done.

[Dustin]

"David W. Hodgins" <dwhodgins@nomail.afraid.org> wrote in
newsp.v03ymmj5a3w0dxdave@hodgins.homeip.net:

> On Wed, 31 Aug 2011 20:34:16 -0400, FromTheRafters
> <erratic.howard@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> I still think it is a good thing for retrieving a stolen laptop.
>
> Giving control of your pc to a company, and trusting all of their
> employees? I don't think so.
>
> It isn't hardware based, so it can be removed if the thief, realizes
> it's there, or reformats, but there is freeware to allow you to do
> the same thing, yourself.

You're mistaken. It's partially hardware based, and cannot easily be
removed. You won't remove it with a format.



--
I am a sinner
Hold my prayers upto the sun
I am a sinner
Heaven's closed for what I've done.

[Dustin]

"David H. Lipman" <DLipman~nospam~@Verizon.Net> wrote in
news:j3oign0167g@news3.newsguy.com:

> From: "David W. Hodgins" <dwhodgins@nomail.afraid.org>
>
>> On Thu, 01 Sep 2011 10:13:38 -0400, FromTheRafters
>> <erratic.howard@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> This one does involve hardware in cooperation with certain
>>> manufacturing partners.
>>
>>> Absolute
>>> http://blog.lojackforlaptops.com/201...pays%e2%80%94l
>>> aptop-with-wiped-drive-is-recovered/
>>
>> From the above site "LoJack would not work in a Linux
>> environment".
>>
>> Regards, Dave Hodgins
>
> Dustin has researched and analyzed this a bit but I wonder how much
> is "hard coded". For example if Windows is reinstalled and executed
> from the "D:" drive instead of "C:" would that thwart LoJack ?

No. You load windows, you're lojacked again. You either modd the bios,
or switch to linux.




--
I am a sinner
Hold my prayers upto the sun
I am a sinner
Heaven's closed for what I've done.

[Dustin]

"FromTheRafters" <erratic.howard@gmail.com> wrote in
news:j3oiet$56o$1@dont-email.me:

> "David W. Hodgins" <dwhodgins@nomail.afraid.org> wrote in message
> newsp.v03ymmj5a3w0dxdave@hodgins.homeip.net...
>> On Wed, 31 Aug 2011 20:34:16 -0400, FromTheRafters
>> <erratic.howard@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> I still think it is a good thing for retrieving a stolen laptop.
>>
>> Giving control of your pc to a company, and trusting all of their
>> employees? I don't think so.
>>
>> It isn't hardware based, so it can be removed if the thief,
>> realizes it's there, or reformats, but there is freeware to allow
>> you to do the same thing, yourself.
>>
>> http://preyproject.com/
>
> Further on this from their FAQ:
>
> Q) What happens if I flash my BIOS? Will I need to reinstall the
> software?
>
> A) No. If the Persistence Module in the BIOS has been enabled, the
> self-healing capability will repair the Agent software and your
> computer will still be protected. The enable/disable state of the
> Persistence Module is stored in a part of the BIOS that cannot be
> flashed to remove it.

Which isn't really honest of them. It's stored as an optionrom; and it
can be reflashed to remove it.



--
I am a sinner
Hold my prayers upto the sun
I am a sinner
Heaven's closed for what I've done.

[Dustin]

G. Morgan <G_Morgan@easy.com> wrote in
news:ujev571l56n9815oarcveimc575c9rbmdm@Osama-is-dead.net:

> FromTheRafters wrote:
>
>>
>>"David W. Hodgins" <dwhodgins@nomail.afraid.org> wrote in message
>>newsp.v03yddzwa3w0dxdave@hodgins.homeip.net...
>>> On Wed, 31 Aug 2011 18:11:30 -0400, FromTheRafters
>>> <erratic.howard@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Would it only persist if it was reloaded with the same OS
>>>
>>> It's a rootkit in bios that will reinstall itself in any windows
>>> system.
>>>
>>> I don't know if it would damage a linux installation, or not. It
>>> definitely wouldn't work though.
>>
>>That's one of the good things about Linux. When a Windows
>>system OS is identified you be be very sure that certain
>>programs are there. You can know what editors are being
>>used, what browser in most cases, even what library files
>>are there. With Linux, all you can be sure of is that there is
>>a penguin graphic somewhere. )
>
>
> Doesn't matter what O/S, they can halt the boot process before it
> even gets to the OS loader.

being an optionrom does have it's benefits, eh?


--
I am a sinner
Hold my prayers upto the sun
I am a sinner
Heaven's closed for what I've done.

[Dustin]

Dustin <bughunter.dustin@gmail.com> wrote in
news:Xns9F54C047F289CHHI2948AJD832@no:

> "David H. Lipman" <DLipman~nospam~@Verizon.Net> wrote in
> news:j3oign0167g@news3.newsguy.com:
>
>> From: "David W. Hodgins" <dwhodgins@nomail.afraid.org>
>>
>>> On Thu, 01 Sep 2011 10:13:38 -0400, FromTheRafters
>>> <erratic.howard@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> This one does involve hardware in cooperation with certain
>>>> manufacturing partners.
>>>
>>>> Absolute
>>>> http://blog.lojackforlaptops.com/201...ce-pays%e2%80%
94l
>>>> aptop-with-wiped-drive-is-recovered/
>>>
>>> From the above site "LoJack would not work in a Linux
>>> environment".
>>>
>>> Regards, Dave Hodgins
>>
>> Dustin has researched and analyzed this a bit but I wonder how much
>> is "hard coded". For example if Windows is reinstalled and executed
>> from the "D:" drive instead of "C:" would that thwart LoJack ?
>
> No. You load windows, you're lojacked again. You either modd the
bios,
> or switch to linux.

Oh, and switching to linux still ****s you, when the optionrom2 calls
home on your internet connection and finds out she's stolen. Which it
will do, when it cannot drop the exe file. LOL. Whan happens next is a
bios lockdown. IE: no more booting till your system gets an internet
connection and an OK from them. The only way around is a hotswap bios
reflash then.


--
I am a sinner
Hold my prayers upto the sun
I am a sinner
Heaven's closed for what I've done.

[G. Morgan]

Dustin wrote:


>> Doesn't matter what O/S, they can halt the boot process before it
>> even gets to the OS loader.
>
>being an optionrom does have it's benefits, eh?

If you're the one in control, otherwise it sucks!

[David W. Hodgins]

On Fri, 02 Sep 2011 18:47:30 -0400, Dustin <bughunter.dustin@gmail.com> wrote:

> "David W. Hodgins" <dwhodgins@nomail.afraid.org> wrote in
> newsp.v03ymmj5a3w0dxdave@hodgins.homeip.net:

>> It isn't hardware based, so it can be removed if the thief, realizes
>> it's there, or reformats, but there is freeware to allow you to do
>> the same thing, yourself.

> You're mistaken. It's partially hardware based, and cannot easily be
> removed. You won't remove it with a format.

You snipped too much. :-)

I was referring to the freeware option http://preyproject.com/ where
you can be in control, instead of giving control to some company,
not the lojack option.

Regards, Dave Hodgins

--
Change nomail.afraid.org to ody.ca to reply by email.
(nomail.afraid.org has been set up specifically for
use in usenet. Feel free to use it yourself.)

[FromTheRafters]

"Dustin" <bughunter.dustin@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:Xns9F54BFBC4E2EAHHI2948AJD832@no...
> "FromTheRafters" <erratic.howard@gmail.com> wrote in news:j3mbin$4p4$1
> @dont-email.me:
>
>>> Vanguard, You can flatten and rebuild a lojacked system all day long,
>>> it's still going to be lojacked when you reload windows. [g]
>>
>> Would it only persist if it was reloaded with the same OS
>> that it was originally installed to work with? Like if it came
>> with XP pro and you wiped it and loaded Vista would it only
>> have limited functionality or is it capable of upgrading with
>> the new OS when it phones home?
>
> Nope. The dropped exe will happily install as a service on any NT based
> OS. doesn't matter if you had vista and downgraded it to XP pro. You're
> still going to get ****ed in the ass about 10 minutes after it sees an
> internet connection go hot. It waits a few minutes, to make sure the
> coast is clear. And really, if you don't know lojack, and many don't, you
> aren't going far with the stolen lappy. You can switch to linux and avoid
> the dropped exe tho. For now. [g]

It would still phone-home with the current IP on every boot though too.