Laptop security products like PC PhoneHome aren't new. US-based LapTrak is identical to PC PhoneHome. Like PC PhoneHome LapTrak's software stealthily communicates with a central monitoring service. However PC PhoneHome may differentiate itself in one important respect. WINS claims that their software will survive both partition destruction and low-level formatting (a disk preparation process conducted by drive manufacturers).
"We seem to have waved a red flag at every hacker in the world," said Ralph referring to the hundreds of emails he receives from incredulous individuals challenging PC PhoneHome's validity.
Ralph was prepared to say that the software "exploits known vulnerabilities in drive formats", but was reluctant to reveal more for fear of revealing clues that would help criminals reverse the process. If the software is as tenacious as WINS claims, it has an important advantage over LapTrak's software - statements on the Laptrak Web site claims that no software can survive low-level formats.
Given that so much of PC PhoneHome's power rests with the integrity of the hard drive it seems natural that a cautious criminal could avoid unwanted attention from authorities by replacing the hard drive.
"It's becoming harder to buy laptop parts," said Ralph. "Most crims don't do anything more than a low-level format and won't spend money on a new hard drive. Nine time out of ten it's a drug addict trying to get money for a hit."
As a test, ZDNet rang Compaq and asked their parts and service division if they could deliver a new hard drive for a laptop. Asking for the model our laptop was the absolute outer limit of their curiosity about our purchase, and it's hard to imagine that the 1,000 laptops Telstra lost last year (a serious case of theft believed to be an inside job) could have been organised by junkies.
Privacy vs. Security
Privacy and secuirty make interesting bedfellows. While privacy often depends on secuirty there are many more occasions that the two conflict; the former usually has to bend to the will of the latter. PC PhoneHome is case in point.
As it constantly transmits information pertaining to the movement and behaviour of individuals naturally qualifies for the scrutiny of privacy advocates. It's difficult to guarantee that it will always be used appropriately or that its use will always produce an acceptable outcome for all the individuals that come within its reach.
Ralph says PC PhoneHome simply gives police enough forensic information to justify an investigation and the means to carry out it out. However, PC PhoneHome has already been used by overseas enterprises to ensure that its employees are logging on to network resources via a secure point. It is reasonable to assume that an employer could extrapolate from the same records to generate information that employee's may consider personal and beyond the company's interests.
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