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Prey
14 years
I’ve recently set up a system I’ve found to protect my home computer and laptop. I highly recommend this to everyone as it’s free, easy to set up, requires no maintenance and could be invaluable if your computer or smartphone is ever stolen. It’s called Prey.
Prey is ‘set and forget’ application for your laptop/smart phone/computer that can help with recovering it in the event that it gets stolen.
There are 2 parts to it. An application that is installed, configured and then runs silently on your device and a website (or you can use your own if you prefer and have the skills). You install the app and set up an account, change a few settings and forget about it until (heaven forbid) your device is stolen. You can then log into their website, mark your devices as missing and initiate a number of reports and actions.
Pros/Features:
– Search for and use nearby wireless networks to send reports.
– Take pictures from the webcam.
– Collect information about files changed and network information.
– On a phone, can collect gps information.
– It works with Windows, Linux, Max OS and works on most laptops, computers, servers and smart phones.
– You can track up to 3 devices for free and you can pay a fee to track more if you look after a fleet of
Cons/Limitations:
– The big limitation is that it relies on the thief booting up your computer and prey being able to find useful information to help in recovery.
This means if the thief is smart/determined they can either format the whole drive or log in and very quickly disable the app (assuming the know it exists). But chances are they are not that smart or they might try to recover your information and copy off your videos/audio first which gives Prey a chance to work.
Notes:
– Do not set Prey up to send reports to your email address if you have email access from your computer without a password. You don’t want whoever has stolen your pc to be receiving copies of the reports that Prey is sending out.
– Overall, despite the limitations, it is much better than nothing. It will dramatically increase the chances of recovering your device if it is ever stolen.
For more information check out:
The Prey website: http://preyproject.com/
Lifehacker’s review: http://lifehacker.com/5643460/how-to-track-and-potentially-recover-your-stolen-laptop-or-android-with-prey
The Future of Google’s Street View
14 years
by Gregory McKinnell
in Articles
This is a fascinating article to read and think of the possibilities. Hardly any of it is possible currently but it seems plausible that it won’t take long for technology to develop to make it all possible.
http://www.kmeme.com/2010/10/future-of-googles-street-view.html
And if the article is right – I’d imagine the amount of money Google will make from licensing Street View data will be astronomical.
Fake browser warnings dupe users into downloading ‘scareware’ | Computerworld NZ
14 years
by Gregory McKinnell
in News
Just another reminder to be vigilant out there and keep your browsers, Operating systems and anti-virus up to date:
Fake browser warnings dupe users into downloading ‘scareware’ | Computerworld NZ.
Own Your Space – Keep Yourself and Your Stuff Safe Online
14 years
Microsoft has published a free eBook about keeping yourself and your stuff safe online. It’s aimed primarily at teenagers but has excellent information for anyone who is interested in protecting themselves, their identity and their computers while online.
It is written in very easy to understand English and covers topics like spam, malware, your online identity, browser security, social networking and much more. I’ve had a look through it and can highly recommend it for anyone who uses the internet.
Download the whole book or individual chapters from Microsoft’s Website here.
(It’s probably easier to stick with the pdf format as you are more likely to have a reader for it than xps format)
Own Your Space–Keep Yourself and Your Stuff Safe Online
Free Legal Movies Online
14 years
Here’s a quick link from Christian Personal Finance blog that I found very interesting:
http://christianpf.com/where-to-find-free-and-legal-tv-and-movies-online/
While there are many shady sites where you can download illegal content, it’s good to know that there are some people who are keeping up with technology and consumer demand and making this sort of thing available legally. Follow the link and enjoy.
Don’t blame me if you have no bandwidth left at the end of the month.