![]() ![]() We analyzed several executables and laptops during the course of this research. How recent was the Computrace agent variant you analyzed? Later that day we have received an automatic email from the Absolute Software mail server: “Delivery has failed to these recipients or distribution lists: were no other error messages which means that the email should have reached Absolute Software on other addresses in the list, however we have never received a formal response. Here is a screenshot of the email message sent to Absolute Software on February 3, 2014: We notified Absolute Software via email and attached the full research paper draft. Did you contact Absolute Computrace before making your research public? Due to this fact, we were able to conduct a live demo of a hijack of the Computrace agent at the SAS 2014 conference. Our research paper shows that actual versions of Computrace agent still use unencrypted channels. However, we found signs of unauthorized activations on our hardware. Computrace is designed to be activated, deactivated, controlled and managed by the customer using encrypted channels.” Such unauthorized activations quickly became alarming when our reverse engineering revealed serious vulnerabilities in the Computrace agent protocol design.Ībsolute Software’s press release from 2009 claims that “The Computrace BIOS module is activated by the installation of Absolute Software by our customers, and is never forced upon any user. Kaspersky Lab decided to undertake full research on this topic after discovering several privately owned laptops of Kaspersky Lab security researchers had the Computrace agent running without prior authorization. Why did you decide to expand this research after the presentation about Absolute Computrace in 2009? If you enjoyed this article, be sure to visit CanadaOne's article knowledge base for more informative articles.In response to numerous requests for comments and clarifications after our presentation at the Kaspersky Security Analyst Summit 2014, we have created this FAQ with some answers to the most commonly asked questions. Subscriptions can be purchased at You can learn more about Intel's anti-theft technology through this Intel white paper. ![]() To take advantage of the new Intel AT features the user must have an Intel AT enabled computer. The LoJack software can be installed on any laptop, a company representative noted. Premium users will also be able to remotely delete data on the laptop before it is locked. The addition of Intel Anti-theft features enable the laptop owner to login to their LoJack account and trigger the automatic lock of the laptop. This agent, known as the Computrace Agent, then checks in with Absolute's monitoring centre according to a schedule set by the laptop owner, passing on location information each time it checks in. The LoJack software, which is sold as an annual subscription priced at $24.99 for a regular subscription and $34.99 for the premium edition, works by placing a tracing agent on a user's laptop. The Intel AT features include remote locking and messaging capabilities, expanding the capabilities of the LoJack software. ![]() Business owners who purchase Computrace LoJack for Laptops will now be able to take advantage of Intel's Anti-Theft (AT) features, as Vancouver-based Absolute Software becomes the first vendor to bring this technology to consumers. ![]()
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