<p>I have multiple three hour classes with 2 ten minute breaks. I find it mildly entertaining that some students would leave their laptops in the room while they go to the bathroom, or the vending machines, or call their significant others to make sure that they are not cheating even though they could be while on the phone. It's better to have multiple casual partners. </p>
<p>It is so easy to take an unattended laptop, with decent thermal-vision goggles you can even wait until no one's line of sight is in the field of the laptop. </p>
<p>I think I have a full-proof security system for my laptop. I used to carry it around everywhere during the breaks. Now I have several anti-theft systems in place: </p>
<p>I. GPS Tracking via LoJack for laptops
With this I can remotely lock my computer and even wipe it clean if it falls in enemy hands. I wouldn't want rivals getting all my information. I can also phone LoJack and they will get the police to recover the laptop for me. </p>
<p>II. Physical GPS Tracking Device in Motherboard
If I don't want to deal with the police or lojack and want to do my own dirty work, I will activate my own gps device in the computer and get it back when the criminal is most vulnerable. I even equipped a remote microphone into my laptop and I can remotely access the built-in webcam</p>
<p>III. 100 Decibel Motion-Sensing Cable Alarm
If the alarm is moved or senses motion and the code isn't inputted in 5 seconds, a 100 decibel alarm will sound. The alarm will also sound if the cable is cut.</p>
<p>IV. AC Power Alarm
This one is tricky, if the ac power cord is disconnected, or if the battery is removed, or if the computer experiences an attempted shutdown, a custom alarm will sound until a user password is inputted. I set up the sound file of the alarm to be a voice recording of my own warning the criminal of what he is doing and my response. </p>
<p>V. I've started contracting people to watch my laptop strategically around the room perimeter. They won't know what hit them. </p>
<p>Um, I take it with me. Also, I’ve often seen people ask the person next to them to watch their stuff for them while they leave the room for various reasons.</p>
<p>Well I’ve only had one class with ‘break time’ and i just go to the drinking fountain or whatever. No one has the balls to jack my laptop and run out and have to pass me in the hall. There’s no football players in the class, so no one is that stupid. The prof has our names and i’ve seen them all. It’s not a huge lecture. I’m not that paranoid.</p>
<p>I loved reading this post, although you seem a little over the top in the paranoia scale. It was a good laptop security education lesson. I am just too trusting, I guess. If I need someone to advise me how to set all of this up, I will be sending you a PM. I hope you have your laptop set up to videorecord its theft as well. I would want you on my security team. (This post sounds very James Bond-esque) Good work Q!</p>
<p>I keep mine in my room, because most of my professors banned electronic devices from the room. I’m either in small seminars, choir, or voice lessons, so there’s no reason to have my big 17" laptop out.</p>
<p>I either take it with me, ask a friend to watch it, or lock it to a desk. Never leave a laptop alone, it might go missing. On a side note, I’ve heard that GPS programs don’t always help, because police won’t help get stolen computers back (dunno how true that is).</p>
<p>Having security software can only do so much. It’s very easy to simply wipe the drive and reinstall a clean OS. They could even disassemble it and sell it as parts.</p>
<p>I’m suspecting a ■■■■■, but I can’t seem to resist posting on why the methods above are not even close to foolproof. Suppose I steal laptops for a living. Then,</p>
<p>1.) Laptop is turned off with battery removed. (see below)
2.) Laptop is stored in a location where it can’t get a GPS lock. It’s hard enough to get one when I want one. Chances are, the microphone and webcam won’t get anything.
3.) “Ooops, I seemed to have forgot the code”
4.) How is the laptop supposed to remain on to play the sound file if both the AC adapter and battery is removed?
5.) Wait until I abuse your trust when you accidentally contract me to watch your laptop.</p>
<p>That said, let’s consider the situation where I didn’t have those defenses. Nothing on the list actually prevents theft. All of them only detect and trace theft after the fact. You’re still out of your laptop either way.</p>
<p>To solve an out-of-laptop issue: walk into a store and buy another one, restore data from some cloud-based backup (you took them, right?)
To solve the financial issue: file an insurance claim (you have a policy, right?)
To solve the security of data issue: encrypt your hard drive and try not to store any sensitive data on it in the first place</p>
<p>How you get into college with such poor reasoning and problem-solving skills? You need to get your money back. </p>
<p>Your “plot” would have been foiled the second you lifted the computer to get the battery by the exterior alarm activated by motion that would have immediately made a piercing sound and alerted my phone. The power button is shrouded by a component of the exterior alarm that goes off if touched. I modified the system registry to make that button not do anything anyways, and the menu option has been disable as well. Someone modified the BIOS for me so that holding down the button for a few seconds won’t do anything either if you somehow get past the exterior alarm. </p>
<p>If you try to unplug the computer, another alarm will sound. I have interior alarms and exterior alarms that function independently of the computer’s power status. The battery component of the exterior alarms is hidden in a mini faraday cage that makes it resistant to EMP attacks and electromagnets. </p>
<p>How are you even going to get past the security cable that sounds an alarm if cut? Any security cable can be cut, but the one I have that I wrap around an immovable object in the room automatically sounds the exterior alarms and notifies my phone. Then my gps kicks in and I can see where you are going. </p>
<p>Sometimes the police won’t work with LoJack to recover a laptop, which is why I placed my own gps in the system as well that I can track at any time from my smartphone. You wouldn’t make it out of the building. I’m never far from the classroom, I may go across the hall to use the bathrooms or the vending machines. </p>
<p>Suppose that I contracted you to guard my computer, and you try to double cross me. As a condition of employment, I make my contractors fill out an application giving me their address and other information. I then give the information to my team of private investigators to vet the information and start building a profile about who you are, who your loved ones are, where you spend your time, what dirt you have, who you owe money, your enemies, etc. You wouldn’t double cross me if you don’t want irreversible damage to occur to your professional career plans.</p>
<p>I know you’re trolling and all, but I figure I’ll respond anyway.</p>
<p>Now that I am at a much larger school, I typically keep it with me most of the time. But I wouldn’t second guess leaving it in my Bio Lecture during our short break. </p>
<p>Before I transferred, I would feel completely comfortable leaving it in our “Student Union” sort of area while I went to get something from the grocery store or went to the bathroom. Most people I know did the same and I never had any problems with theft.</p>