Prey takes over your devices to keep thieves under surveillance
Andy Ihnatko recommends a tool that helps recover lost or stolen electronics called "Prey". Prey is a special kind of spyware that lies dormant and never track a device's legitimate user. But when your hardware is stolen, you can remotely activate Prey and it'll begin to invisibly and regularly report the hardware's location, and the thief's activity, back to you. All you have to do once you find out that your electronic had disappeared is leap onto a web browser, access Prey's web-based control panel, mark the device missing, and tell Prey what kind of information you'd like to receive. Ultimately, you'll have enough information to unequivocally prove where your property is and who has it. If you value the privacy of your data over the recovery of your device, Prey can simply render the device inoperable until it receives your remote password. This will, or course, encourage the thief to stop using your device. Nothing can absolutely ensure that you'll get your property back, but your chances are far better with Prey installed. Prey has one operational weakness however: you need to actually install the software while the device is still in your physical possession. Is pRey safe? Andy Ihnatko is convinced that Prey is about as safe as this kind of tool can be, given that the software is designed to secretly do things and to evade detection. Because it's been scrutinized, potential weaknesses have been identified, opening a controversy about how it works. The concern is not really that Prey could do something to harm your system or your privacy (which technically it could if there was a problem), but that a third party could exploit these weaknesses to attack your system. Therefore, like with almost all technology available, Prey has its own pros and cons open for debate.
Info found at: www.suntimes.com
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| Andy Ihnatko |
