US ABSOLUTE SOFTWARE DISCUSSES SOME SECURITY AND FUNCTIONALITY ISSUES ON BLOGSITE OF TECHNOLGY CONSULTANT Around the Corner v2 - MGuhlin.net - CompuTrace Revisited:

CompuTrace Revisited

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Posted on Wednesday, January 24, 2007 by Miguel Guhlin

After my initial post on CompuTrace--what, day before yesterday?--Steve E. and a stockholder in Absolute Software have emailed or left comments on the original post. While Steve acknowledges the technical accuracy of the post, he shares it doesn't reflect his experience. As Steve points out, my comment remains technically accurate.

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I am writing because what Miguel has written, while technically accurate, does not reflect our experience with Computrace.

And, that's true. CompuTrace has been successful in reducing computer theft, both as a preventative and in recovery. This makes it a unique product and a viable alternative--for now--to computer cables, etc. And yet, my purpose is to highlight that CompuTrace is not foolproof. A determined, knowledgeable thief can bypass CompuTrace if they reformat the machine using a program like Darik's Boot-n-Nuke, and then, in lieu of Windows, install a GNU/Linux operating system (e.g. UbuntuLinux). Is that more work than getting around a cable? You decide...and that's the point of sharing this information. One stockholder actually didn't know/understand that loading an alternate operating system instead of Windows would effectively nullify CompuTrace's effect. You need the information to make the decision and ask questions. Kudos to Absolute Software for being unafraid to share their thoughts in the blogosphere.

As schools are moving towards open source software deployment--consider the State of Indiana's initiative--I suggested to the CEO that he consider including Linux as one of the operating systems supported by CompuTrace. He has responded that they will do more research.

One of the follow-up questions I had from readers via email was, "Thieves could just 'flash the BIOS.'" I have never "flashed" a BIOS so I'm not technologically savvy in that regard. When I shared the question with John (CEO, Absolute Software), he responded in this way:

On the BIOS flash - the OEM's have created flash updates that include Computrace support so our module is still present and the anti-theft setting and original ownership record is persevered. We have created the Computrace persistent software/firmware module to ensure that when a school or individual activates our computer theft recovery service - that upon a theft, the stolen notebook can be tracked, recovered and returned to its rightful owner.

From what I have read about flashing the BIOS, it is a deliberate action that can ruin your computer if done incorrectly. Again, sophisticated thieves would have to be involved a computer theft ring, and if one can imagine a chop shop for cars, why not for computers? Is this response valid to the flashing the BIOS? In this case, I must depend on you.

Finally, to round out the conversation, I invited John Livingston, CEO of Absolute Software, to participate in a Skypecast, as well as setup a blog for his business. Here's the invite for the SkypeCast:

Is there any interest on your part in doing a Skype interview to share your product, and then share that as a podcast? We could then invite in--via Skype--educators to share their experiences. The Skypecast would go for an hour, then be released as a podcast. Let me know and we'll set up a convenient time.

John's response was as follows:

I would look forward to the Skype interview and have cc Courtney C.[last name omitted] to help arrange it.

So, what kind of questions would you like to see about CompuTrace and computer security in general?

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