Lenovo ThinkPads to freeze when texted, deter thieves from getting the goods
By Darren Murph 
posted Nov 25th 2008 2:57AM
posted Nov 25th 2008 2:57AM
"Lockdown PC Now." Lenovo Locks Out Thieves from ThinkPad Notebook PCs
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC – November 25, 2008: Lenovo today announced plans to bring customers a new security defense against unauthorized data access on Lenovo ThinkPad notebooks. The Lenovo Constant Secure Remote Disable feature lets users send a simple text message command via a cell phone to render their PC useless to unauthorized users when the notebook is lost or stolen. Lenovo worked with Phoenix Technologies (Nasdaq: PTEC), a leader in embedded technologies that improve the user experience, to develop this capability. Lenovo's Remote Disable feature will be available on select ThinkPad notebooks equipped with mobile broadband1 starting in 1Q 2009.
According to the 2008 CSI Computer Crime and Security Survey2, 42 percent of computer attacks and incidents among U.S. organizations in both private and public sectors occurred as a result of notebook PC theft. Lenovo's new Remote Disable dramatically enhances the security of a lost or stolen ThinkPad notebook PC by speeding up the time it takes to lock the PC, helping to prevent unauthorized access to the computer's data.
To activate Remote Disable, users create a simple text message command such as "lockdown PC now" or "PC shut off" that can be used if a notebook PC is lost or stolen. A user sends the kill command to the ThinkPad notebook via cell phone to the PC's onboard mobile broadband service and the computer becomes inoperable3. If the PC is turned off when a user sends a kill command, the PC will automatically disable the next time someone turns it on. Users also receive a confirmation text message that validates when the Remote Disable technology has been successfully executed. To reactivate the disabled PC, a user enters his or her pre-set passcode created during notebook startup.
"Remote Disable dramatically reduces the anxiety and waiting people often experience when they've been the victim of a lost or stolen notebook PC," said Bob Galush, vice president, Software and Peripherals Marketing, Lenovo." Through our work with Phoenix, we are able to reduce customers' security risks and potential exposure of their confidential data when their ThinkPad notebook is lost or stolen. Combined with features like built-in biometric fingerprint readers, full hard drive encryption and embedded security chips, Lenovo ThinkPad notebooks offer the latest industry-leading PC security technologies."
Pricing and Availability
Lenovo's Remote Disable is included in the price of the notebook at no additional charge. It will be available 1Q 2009 on select ThinkPad notebooks that are enabled for mobile broadband1. Remote Disable will be supported worldwide wherever cellular phone systems support GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) SMS (Short Message Service) text message transmission.
All it needs is and some to be better!
Oh no! You accidentally your whole post. What should you do?
" 'Course, said thief can track you down and implement all manners of torture to get you to reactivate it, but we suppose that's the risk you take with that sort of lifestyle." = SINCERE LOL
See, there are little things like this which cause me to love this site.
really that made you laugh, and not think, what kind of stupid criminal would risk being caught by coming after you for the password?
Well, it made me laugh. Apparently I don't have to analyze a humorous quip to death.
Anyway, this is a neat idea. But I put my trust in Truecrypt.
Can the user re-enable the laptop with a unlock code then? Lenovo is going make quite a profit from customers with alzheimers. I thought I lost it but I finally found it under my car seat but I can't remember the code (providing purchase order or receipt to customer support) j/k...
Okay, this is just lame. All the thief has to do is remove/swap the SIM card. FAIL.
You over-estimated how smart petty thieves are.
Yeah, after the thief realizes that this system is even in place. I highly doubt that there will be a sticker on the laptop advertising this security feature.
Lenovo wouldn't. Pretty much anyone else would.
Sony would design lid artwork to advertise it
Better idea: instead of JUST tying it to the WWAN, tie it to WAN as well and have the code be able to be emailed to Lenovo by the user (or called in) and have it remotely disable by WAN (specific mac address). Or even better still include biometrics in this feature (Lenovo already does with a fingerprint reader) - by Fingerprint (via integrated fingerprint reader), voice (via integrated mic), and face recognition (via integrated webcam) to pass a hardware (and software) based security check. If even one doesn't check out, the laptop doesn't work.
Further protection: don't leave your laptop unattended.
"If I can't have it no one can! muhahahaha"
Ok so I'll volunteer to ask the stupid question:
How is this better/more effective than the power on password that you normally set up on your Lenovo laptop through the BIOS?
simple: if someone snacks your laptop while it is powered on, you can force a shut down...
In that case I hope you set the supervisor password, as the regular bios password reset instructions can be found on the Lenovo website.
@rs
Good thing I don't have to worry about that. Vista "shuts down" randomly via BSOD a number of times a day!
And people say Vista lacks security features...
@Robodan
UR laptop Sucks!
Robodan, the instability of Vista's a bit vapid, don't you think?
...although your last line was a nice twist on it--it was refreshing like a squeeze of lemon into iced-water.
Good question... if you have an encrypted drive on your laptop, it isn’t effective until your PC is powered down completely. A computer with an encrypted drive means nothing if it is stolen while still powered on. This will give you the chance to power it down as the thief is running down the block....
Just make the battery explode when the code is received.
If it explodes on the thief: PWNED.
If it explodes on the thief's customer: Well, given how cheap that laptop already was, that'd be the ultimate "bang for your buck".
Remotely detonated bombs (essentially what that would be) in ordinary consumer devices.
That's exactly what the world needs. Have an idea of how to incorporate some uranium into that?
Or instead of uranium, why not an ink packet like banks use?
Or perhaps a cloud of anthrax, that's what we need.
So let me get this straight. You use a small tactical nuke inside the laptop, text it and then suddenly the thief and everything for 40 meters is vaporized in a fireball hotter than the sun?
that sounds like a fantastic idea to me. except why bother with texting, and why bother with thieves? i think all laptops should be built to violently explode randomly at some point in their life.
They do, just buy a Sony.
What about just extracting the drive and using an external enclosure to get into the data.
or
Removing the WWAN/SIM card from the unit...
Bottom line, if you have something important on your computer, and someone is smart enough or willing enough to want it, give it time, and they will get it.
Or how about when ever I steal a computer I bring it back to my evil lair which has a GSM Signal blocking transmitter
Not if you encrypt the harddrive.
Truecrypt, and a screensaver password. Most thieves would have no idea how to get back in after the laptop is locked, so they would likely reboot. Then, the truecrypt bootloader password hits.
And if they pull the disk out and plug it into another computer, all they see is garbage.
I'm not sure how this is different than the computrace code and chips they've had since the T43's. Where I work we have used it to remotely disable or track&recover dozens of stolen laptops over the last few years. You can disable the computrace code by editing the bios it's not easy though. You might be able to do the same with this version.
From my experience, notebooks are often stolen and sent to East Africa.
You think they're really going to care whether these things get disabled? And/or if it goes to Africa, you think this whole remote-disable thing is going to work across the world?
This will stop people like the University of Florida's moronic backup quarterback (who recently stole, painted, used, and then disposed of a classmate's notebook), but for the pros, this doesn't mean anything.
Many of ours have been recovered in Asian airports, none have called home from Africa. Virtually all of ours have been recovered or disabled. And yes the remote disable thing will work across the world.
Maybe someday someone will suddenly realize that sending back sms's periodically till battery dies, so the police can track and retrieve it, sounds like an idea to work with.
would it work with encrypting both the primary drive as well as the attached harddrive (hd bay adapter)?
sure, it's a neat function and my data will be protected, but the chances of me getting it back are slim. i think it would be better to have embedded A-GPS fitted into the laptop as an additional feature. that way i can track down my lost/stolen machine (and kick some ass if needed) instead of having a disabled machine wandering around somewhere out there.