WhoStoleMyPC: Overview
When your computer or laptop is in your possession, WhoStoleMyPC silently runs in the background, undetectable to users.
Periodically, the application will contact the WhoStoleMyPC server and check its status. Normally, the server will report that all is well, and business continues as usual.
In the unfortunate event that the computer is stolen, you can then put WhoStoleMyPC into action. First, you log onto the server and change the computer’s status to ’Stolen‘. You can then specify a set of commands that will be transmitted to the stolen computer the next time it contacts the server. This is when things can get interesting...
Logging:
IP addresses, keyboard input, screen content, visited URLs and e-mail transactions can be logged and transmitted to you. This information can be used to possibly determine the thief’s location (IP addresses are unique to a specific geographic area), his identity (by analyzing screen shots, keyboard input and screen content), and/or his intentions (visits to e-bay, etc).
Retrieval:
Your computer may have information that is valuable to you. We all know that we should maintain up-to-date backups, but you know how that goes... Term papers, family photos, personal records, etc, cannot be replaced. WhoStoleMyPC can be ordered to transmit specified files to an FTP site of your choice. Don’t know what an FTP site is? We can help.
Security:
If the computer has sensitive information on it, you may want to remove it as soon as possible. Financial files, tax records and personal information can be used to steal your identity (as if losing your computer isn’t bad enough!). You can command WhoStoleMyPC to remove files, e-mail messages, or even format hard drives if you wish.
Control:
Remotely change the Windows password, shut down the machine at certain times (think how annoying that will get for your thief), display specific messages, execute applications, or simulate hardware failures. Some of these commands are intended to give you additional control over the computer, others are designed to convince the thief that your computer is broken. If he tries to get it repaired, you stand a chance of seeing it again.
What if the computer can’t talk to the server?
We’ve got that covered, too. When you install WhoStoleMyPC (or anytime after), you can setup a series of commands that should be executed if WhoStoleMyPC hasn’t communicated with the server in a while (you control how long). Don’t worry, failsafes are built in for the occasions when your Internet goes south for a few days.
Next: Installing the Program