Marking
The police advise that property should be
marked to aid identification if recovered. There are a number of ways to mark your
property. Engraving or etching, ultra violet or "invisible" marking could be
used for your home computer equipment. You should mark down your postcode or ZIP, plus
house or flat number (or the first 2 letters of your house name). This provides a simple
and unique way of identifying your equipment. If you want the mark to be hidden, remember
that police have to be able to find it so don't put it somewhere too obscure!
Easy to use property marking kits are
available from stationers and DIY stores. For more information please contact your Crime
Prevention Officer at your local Police Station.
Organisations may wish to invest in an asset tracking
system to ensure that they are aware of the location and status of all
their corporate assets.
I've included some information on some of the more
advanced methods of
marking and tracking equipment below.
Alpha Dot
This system uniquely marks equipment with an
extremely small label (microdot) with a personal identification number coded to the owner.
It can be used on most items from a single dot on a microchip to over 50 on an automobile.
Details are registered in an automated system called "Traceline" that can
automatically provide details of equipment owners to the police based on details found on
the labels. More information can be found at http://www.alpha-dot.co.uk/.
Smart Water
Smart water uses technology described as
similar to DNA profiling to uniquely identify equipment. Even a tiny amount contains
enough uniquely encoded particles to aid recovery of your property and is invisible under
normal light. In the UK, the Police can use an ultraviolet lamp and a small test kit to
confirm the owner of the stolen property.
It is manufactured under licence by the United Kingdom Forensic Science Service who hold
an international database of the unique customer forensic codes. It has been
developed into a number of solutions including paint that you can use to mark your
equipment, personalised tamper proof corporate asset labels with the unique code embedded
within the adhesive and intruders sprays to automatically "paint" an intruder to
aide their detection (remember it's invisible under normal light). More information can be
found at http://www.smartwater.com.
Yellow Tag
This is a a really simple but effective
idea. You log your details and buy your tags (labels, luggage tags, pet tags, key fobs
etc.) then, when they arrive you activate them on the Yellow tag web site. You then attach
your tags to your property (your keys, mobile phone, laptop, even your pet!) that you want
tagged. The tags are marked with an email address that is unique to you but does not
identify you in any way. When someone finds your equipment they send an email to the
unique address and the message is automatically forwarded to your email address and to
your mobile phone (hopefully this isn't what you've lost) via SMS. To encourage people to
return your property there is a reward scheme. Everyone reporting a find is entered into a
prize draw (around $10,000) and they are also eligible for a free set of tags. For more
information go to http://www.yellowtag.com.
Asset Management, Tracking & Recovery
ComputracePlus
This system allows you to know where your
computing equipment is at all times. An agent is installed on the computer you need to keep
a track of automatically sends system information (IP address, email account, hard disk
size system processor type for instance) to a secure database at the Computrace web site (http://www.computrace.com). System administrators can
remotely log into the secure database to check their equipment status
(very useful as an asset tracking system). The
information in reports can be customised to provide the system
details you require. If
you computer is reported stolen it is flagged by Computrace and the next time it accesses
a phone line or the Internet a tracking process is initiated. The service operators
liaise
with law enforcement and provide then will details of assets and locations to aid lawful
recovery of your equipment. The system can track down the phone number and
corresponding street address (even if the Caller ID is blocked) in the united states. The
IP address can be traced to the address owner (ISP etc) who can then be legally compelled
to provide further details to aid the recovery of the equipment.
Options for wiping data on stolen systems are available. It
can be purchased as a service or you can install and manage it at your site.
Forensic recovery services are available to retrieve data that has been deleted
or to aid in the conviction of a thief. For more information go
to http://www.computrace.com.
This system is also resold by other organisations such as Kensington (http://www.kensington.com/html/1145.html).
Kodit Laptop & Mobile Phone Security
Kits
These products from Kodit can help you
manage your assets. Each device has a label with a unique code stuck to it (the resin
bonded tag is very strong). In addition to the label on the device there is also a card
(same size as a credit card) that is carried by the authorised user. Security guards can
challenge individuals and check that only authorised staff are removing equipment. Kodit
also provide electronic and asset tags. More information can be found at http://www.kodit.com.
STOP Plate
STOP is short for Security Tracking of
Office Property and is a theft deterrent and asset recovery service. Your equipment has an
asset plate affixed to it using extremely strong glue.. If the plate is removed then a
chemical "tattoo" which is etched to the computer case as part of the tagging
process is exposed. The tattoo clearly states that the equipment has been stolen. This
makes the plate virtually tamper proof. Each plate has a custom bar code traceable to your
organisation and finders are encouraged to phone a toll free number to report the
equipment found. An additional red label also affixed to the device explains that the
equipment is traceable by law enforcement, further discouraging theft. The bar code on the
equipment ties up with a database containing the make, model, serial number and
owner of the equipment making owner identification and tracing easier. STOP asset
tracking software and barcode scanner can also be used to set up your own asset database.
For more information, go to http://www.stoptheft.com.
WebDetect CTS is available in the
United Kingdom. It is a system from tracking lost of stolen computers. It can use both
Internet and telephone connections to find your equipment. Each installation has a unique
code so that your equipment can be positively identified. The software installed on your
PC or Laptop checks your system for component serial numbers and sends the information to
the WebDetect servers via the Internet. Every time your machine is online it checks with
WebDetect servers to see if it has been reported stolen. If you report your equipment
stolen (to the police and WebDetect) the record on the online database is updated to
reflect new status. The next time the machine goes online it connects to the WebDetect
server and a tracing routine begins. It first records the time of connection and the
Internet location then checks the telephone dialling details. These two methods back each
other up to aid recovery. The details are then sent to the police and the WebDetect Call
Center monitors the situation. WebDetect Pro includes technology from the
Reflex Magnetics to securely encrypt stored data. Options
to securely destroy data are also available. Further details can be found at
http://www.webdetect.com/products/WDCTS/tracking-home.htm.
Locking Devices
Kensington MicroSaver
Kensington have a number of security cable
solutions to allow your to physically connect laptops and other devices to immovable
objects such as desks or pillars. The idea is that the steel cable is a deterrent to theft,
it would still be possible to a determined thief to hack through the cable. Key or
combination lock options are available. Kensington can provide customised key solutions
such as a master key so that you can unlock devices if your employees lose their
unique keys or grouped keys so that all your employees can unlock all devices in
your organisation. For more information on Kensington's Microsaver line go to http://www.microsaver.com. Kensington also
provide other physical security products including disk locks to prevent unauthorised use
of removable media such as CD's and floppies. Go to the Kensington site at http://www.kensington.com.
ByteBrothers Case Lock
The kit can be used to ensure that
unauthorised individuals cannot open your PC case and steal you memory, processor
etc. For more information go to
http://www.bytebrothers.com/bb_secure/casesecu.htm.
ByteBrothers also provide other physical security products including
disk locks to prevent
unauthorised use of removable media such as CD's and floppies
and armoured (hack saw proof) security cables.
Link IT
This is a proximity device that controls a
PC's screensaver. Users are allocated a card that can be worn (similar to an ID card) and
is detected by a device connected to the serial port. The PC's screensaver is
automatically activated when a user walks away from the machine, stopping anyone from
using it. When the User returns, their card is sensed and the screensaver automatically
cuts off. Access logging is available and up to 10 people can be granted access to the
equipment. For more information go to http://www.securepc.co.uk.
SecurePC also sell other products to secure your computer
equipment.
Alarms
Caveo Anti-Theft
This is a device that fits into your Laptops
PC card slot. It uses motion sensing technology to detect whether you laptop is being
stolen or simply moved. It can be set to encrypt the laptop and sound an alarm (up to 110
decibels) or even playback a recorded message if a theft attempt is detected. A number of
arming options are available including at start up, when the screensaver is activated and
when a combination of movements is detected (known as a motion password).
The technology in this design has been licenced by Targus for use in their
Defcon MDP PC Card. For more
information go to http://www.caveo.com
and http://www.targus.com.
Kensington SonicLok
The SonicLok attaches to your Laptop bag or
laptop security slot and features a 3 digit, user programmable numeric keypad. It has
three motion sensor sensitivity levels, when disturbed, the SonicLok flashes a warning
light and emits a 100 decibel alarm. For more information go to
http://www.kensington.com/html/1130.html (US site) or
http://www.kensingtonuk.co.uk/security_solutions/products/product.asp?subsection=1&id=152
(UK site).
SecurePC Internal Alarm Card
This device is installed inside a computer
and is armed when the machine is switched off. The alarm will go off if the computer
is moved or the case is opened. For more information go to http://www.securepc.co.uk. SecurePC have a wide range of security products available on their web site.
Targus Defcon 1
Defcon 1 attaches to your Laptop or bag. It
has over 1000 combinations and, when triggered will emit a 110 decibel alarm. For more
details, point your browser to
http://www.targus.com/us/accessories_security.asp (US
site) or
http://www.targus.com/UK/accessories_security.asp (UK site) .
Compal Surge protector/Alarm
This is a surge protector, protecting your
computer from electrical spikes, and an alarm, emitting a 130 decibel alert when the
equipment is moved. For more information go to http://www.securepc.co.uk.
SecurePC have a wide range of security products available on their web site.
Last Updated
18/11/2003
