Stueyb

Hi peeps.

A few weeks ago, we had a fairly decent laptop stolen from one of our salesmans cars. "Way it goes" so we thought. Restored all the data to a new one etc etc.

HOWEVER, we have remote control software, and it notifies us whenever a machine is online. The stupid tealeaf didn't check for remote control software.

We also have logged his (or her) IP address, BB provider, longitude, lattitude, house number and color of the front door. Seriously.

This machine is always on in the evening. We tried to get the police to do something whilst it was online. Eventually after getting "So someone has stolen an "IP" address from you","Whats an ip address", "Sorry, you have the wrong dept" we have given up. Stupid thing is, its an easy collar and cleanup for some copper.

Anyway, any ideas on how to really, really bork the machine and the restore partition? We will prolly have 5 mins max before we get noticed.

BlkKnight

downloads of kiddie **** then inform the police

RoadrunnerV2

Most wiping utilities require you to boot from a CD/floppy etc. In the past I have used Nuke which is very good. Darik's Boot and Nuke (Hard Drive Disk Wipe)

What you could do is exact the program onto the hard drive and run autonuke.exe while the PC is booted. I'm pretty sure it will screw the pc fairly quickly.

Iain Young

Bear in mind that the person using it now probably isn't the person who nicked it...

boxst

I'm surprised the Police are not interested, seems like an easy catch to at least see who the person bought it from.

Steve

Freelance Badger

Yes I'd certainly be trying the get the Police to do something. Give them some kinda print out confirming it's on-line where and when and tell them to go get it back! Of course it's unlikely to be the person who nicked it - and they'll keep it for evidence - but it's a start, and you might just be lucky....

Stueyb

That had occurred to me Iain, but at the end of the day, they are still in receipt of stolen property. I mean part of me says ok, leave it, a laptop is still useful and to just kill it so it gets binned wasteful, but a part of me says why should they get away with what they probabily knew was hooky gear. If a bloke offered me a core duo laptop, with some random guys name on it, no box, for £100, i'd have my suspicions.

But yeah, no matter how much we try and prod the police, they just aren't interested (Too busy handing out speeding fines I expect, as that makes revenue rather than costs it)

GC8WRX

The police wont help cos there isnt a profit in it for them

The cops are useless

boxst

Can you force the Police into it? Publicity with The Register or something similiar? Worth a try as I hate to see someone getting away with stealing.

Steve

bob269

Aye, had your guys car been stolen and passed a speed camera they'd waste no time sending you a fine.

+Doc+

Not really the way to go if the PC has changed hands with the buyer thinking it was a legitimate sale.
Keep going with the police imo, you just need to speak to the right person, visit them face to face.

GazTheHat

If you get nowhere with the police, why not go round in person??

Even better, do like in the matrix. Post a message up on the screeen remotely saying "Knock Knock" or "Answer the door". Co-ordinate on your mobiles. Just as you post the message, knock the door and ask about the laptop.

That would freak the sh!te outta anyone.

Keep the other person handy to run the autonuke. If you get nowhere tell them that it is just about to be wiped and the police informed. (They don't know the police are doing nothing)

Luminous

iTrader: (3)

You should be able to embarrass the police into doing something.

Offer to contact the press on their behalf regarding their new policy of non prosecution for theft. Say that the police regard this crime to be slow low in the priorty stakes that even with fully documented evidence of where stolen property is, who has it, and the times they will be there that their new policy is not to investigate.

You can play with the wording, but basically draft the letter you would write to the local news paper should they not actually put their doughnuts down and go over there. The police do not like bad press, especially when you can prove it. Maybe invite a local reporter over (you know the free ad paper ones that really struggle to get a story about a cat up a tree). They will bite your arm off for a story like this

Dream Weaver

Try the Police again, useless lot!

Just badger them every hour until they do something.

Boro

iTrader: (1)

Im confused why the police wont act.

Have you got a physical address? I know you say you've got longitude/latitude, house number, colour of front door but to be honest if you told the police you have longitude/latitude, they'd probably call in the coastguard, lol.

If you actually do have a physical address, then walk into your local police station with it written on a piece of paper and tell them your laptop is in there and you have evidence to back it up.

Sonic'

Im curious as to how you have managed to get the latitude and longtitude coordinates and house number of the location of the laptop

Spoofing IP addressess is really easy, also if you have used one of those IP locater sites they are as much use as a chocolate fireguard

Our company owns a range of class C subnets and have done for at least the last 20 years, yet no location software or website has yet managed to locate our offices within 30 miles

Stueyb

Sonic, in reply to your Q, yes we used a locator site. Even if that failed, all the police have to do is talk to BT to get the address. Also if/when we log onto the machine, we can read his docs also, and his email. hmm, signing him up for gay midget **** weekly could be interesting

GazTheHat

Ah, so you don't have the address then.

boxst

If you type the co-ordinates into Google Maps you'll get the address?

Steve

Borat_Drives_A_Scooby

Have you contacted Kofi Annan at the UN ?

You said you have the house location, the UN will be able to send a laser guided missile from a satellite and strike the house which would take out the laptop. Its something to bare in mind if all else fails.

pimmo2000

iTrader: (6)

The only us an IP address is would be to find out the persons ISP.. you can not find out where they live.. unless they own the IP range.. !

So location and colour of door is Bull!

As for stolen laptop, report to police and try to get a court order to get the ISP to trace the IP !

In all honestly though.. it is very unlikely !

gazza-uk

I cant beleive this for a second, you go to all the trouble of having notification when somebody logs on, but the laptop is not pw protected????

unless they used the administrator pw hack disk, but if they knew what they were doing, they would have wiped it???

Something not adding up here...

also as pointed out, you cant get somebodys address from an IP, unless you are / know the service provider.

pimmo2000

iTrader: (6)

For OP

Silver Scooby Sport

iTrader: (15)

Is remote access a possibility ?

pimmo2000

iTrader: (6)

It is... but having it setup not to alert the user ??

No good company practice !!

or are you asking if they have access to the PC ??

Stueyb

I cant beleive this for a second, you go to all the trouble of having notification when somebody logs on, but the laptop is not pw protected????

unless they used the administrator pw hack disk, but if they knew what they were doing, they would have wiped it???

- Yes, the users don't tend to use passwords, but then again there is nothing of real value on them. Yes if they had any brains they could have pressed F11 and done a OS re install. Also before anybody says thats stupid. Yes I know, but I don't set the IT policies!

As for not having anything. Logging in, or even remote file access allows me to see all their documents. This would yield something.

Also we have the IP address, and the internet provider (BT)

Ill prod the plod again, see if we can get anything.

pimmo2000

iTrader: (6)

care to explain ??

So you mean you have their IP and you have found out the other stuff ??

So they stole a PC.. and uploaded files containing their address ??

possible I guess

Silver Scooby Sport

iTrader: (15)

Just considering if they could remote access the laptop and then either PW protect it or start removing programmes to render it usless if nothing legally can be done.

_Meridian_

iTrader: (1)

Ask specifically for the computer crime people. If you talk to the normal coppers then odds are most of them won't actually understand you. Which force are we talking?


M

SirFozzalot

I agree.

Sorry, but I can't believe that if I went to the police and told them my laptop had been stolen and I have the exact adrress of where said stolen laptop is, that they wouldn't go and investigate!?!?!

If that is the case then I would be contacting a high ranking officer and asking why his constables aren't interested in solving crime!