ASUS equips P30 and P80 laptops with Intel's Anti-Theft Technology
By Darren Murph 
posted Apr 11th 2009 6:40PM
posted Apr 11th 2009 6:40PM
Remember Intel's Anti-Theft Technology that debuted around this time last year? You know, that wicked cool invention that you've heard absolutely nothing about ever since? Evidently it's still alive and kickin', as ASUS has just announced that two of its lappies will come loaded with it. The P30 and P80 will both arrive with the so-called theft deterrent system, enabling owners to send a "poison pill" (it's words, not ours) remotely, rendering their computer inoperable by "comprehensively shutting it down." If you manage to reacquire it in one piece, a passphrase can be inputted in order to reactivate things. Still, we have to wonder how this will really detract thieves from snapping up unattended machines -- we mean, do they really stop to check out the anti-theft software before wheeling away with your rig? We're guessing not.[Via HotHardware]
Virus writers got to love this...
How is this a good thing? The owner is still without a laptop, and now the theif has to steal even MORE laptops to meet his $ of stolen goods quota since its worth less once locked.
As more laptops get equipped with this technology, they'll know it is protected.
And in that circumstance, it will probably be the associate theif's Director of Theft Operations that will direct the organization to steal things with an inherent value, like cash and gold jewelry instead of instantly depreciating self-disabling lappies. But seriously - I don't think they have a so-called quota. I think they steal however much they need to steal to buy another crack rock, and the guy who buys your laptop for $20 isn't going to give 2 sh1ts whether it works or not anyway. Theifs aren't exactly the sharpest tools in the shed.
Or you could just not leave it unattended... I have had 4 laptops in my lifetime I have never left them somewhere that they could be stolen. If I am at school its in the backpack that never leaves my side even if I go to the bathroom it goes with me. I keep my work laptop locked in my office where only custodial staff and the bosses have keys. Only way my laptops could get stolen is if someone broke into my house, but if they want to take on my dogs more power to them.
I'm guessing it has more to do with preventing the thieves from securing your top-secret world domination plans once they have it.
Which will work perfectly fine until they take out the hard drive and stick it in another machine.
Dafrety, you've never heard of Bitlocker?
Jacob, have you ever heard of a crowbar?
How is a crowbar going to crack encryption software.
Whoops. I had never heard of bitlocker. I don't think a crowbar would do much except break a computer... Sorry people.
Bitlocker come from Microsoft in vista.
I think the idea is to add on top of bitlocker/pointec encryption tools ... if you work for a bank, they care less if you loose $1000 laptop, they really care about any confidential data being stolen and the public reputation (in california you have to publicly disclose it).
as we all saw lat year, you can get into computer if it is in sleep mode (not fully shut down) by reading the memory. So technically you can crack Bitlocker / Pointsec not by breaking the encryption but by getting the original password.
Sell it for parts? you get more money that way than for selling it as a whole and you're probably going to get around the anti-theft problem as well(excluding HDD and probably the motherboard obviously)
We are in 2009 not 1990, intel way to counter this is so stupid
They should invent a way where the laptop would never turn on unless you use your fingerprint and all data is encrypted till you use your fingerprint so if someone stole a laptop its useless even if he removed the HD from the laptop
ThinkPads kinda do that already.
"ThinkPads kinda do that already."
I second the motion.
It's fairly simple stuff. Include a GPS beacon so one can TRACK the laptop. I have one on my dualsport for use as a beacon when deep in the woods.
Some punks took my bike outside of my university. Didn't even get the thing home until the RCMP was on there ass.
I think just the thought that a laptop might be tracked is enough to scare a thief away.
That's awesome the RCMP cared enough to do that. Here in the States if you were to request a police officer track someone via GPS, their typical response is "huh?" or "we don't do that in this department... nor do we have a department that does" or "we would if we knew how" or "Did you get murdered? Assaulted? How about raped? If not, get lost."
Ya I live up north so there are few roads and lots of cops on them busting speeders. My buddy had his escalade stolen while it was warming up (winter) in his driveway (Toronto area). They tracked it via on star to the quebec boarder then it went off the grid (or into a transport container). ANOTHER buddy of mine had his car stolen and was actually happy to see it go (see: GM) and they tracked it and found it near wrecked but still fixable, guess sometimes it can work for or against you.
Seems in the states unless you smoke pot, steal mp3's or kill somebody you're SOL.
GPS tracking already exists and with the Intel anti-theft as long as you have Computrace, which you need inorder for Intel anti-theft to work. So you can either get it back or kill it. You can't use the Intel anti-theft stuff unless you have software on the computer that lets you access the functionality. Lenovo has it too...
its, not it's, Darren!
I think to make it more effective, there should be a logo system.God knows there are too many useless logos on a computer these days. Something like this might actually be effective.
That would probably work great if crackheads actually cared about a logo. I think you'll need to teach them to read, first.
I want a laptop that knifes people for security..
How about a system that as soon as it is connected to the internet, it finds it's IP address and sends it back to the owner. The ISP can be tracked down and thus maybe the owner and etc.
Um... No one is going to steal an Asus computer. The thieves are going to be targeting all the pretty macs and maybe dells. Not to say Asus makes inferior computers. I myself own an Asus laptop and i love it, but at a university saturated with macbooks, I don't really feel like my computer is going to be the first one they target.
Honestly I think if the opportunity is there, they would take it and worry about if it's worth something later.
Count down until this is exploited ....
I am not getting any computer with this so called poison pill. Just seems like an open door for vulnerabilities. I will take my chances. And a person that is stupid enough to leave their laptop unattended in a public place deserves for their laptop to get stolen. Now if somebody forcefully takes it, or gets burglarized then i understand their frustration.
As more laptops get equipped with this technology, they'll know it is protected.
If not do this ,this is very worry to me or more
Eric Lam
http://www.1gameconsole.com
Great post. I have you bookmarked to show this information to my friend.
Poison pills increase cost of an acquisition. Its a financial term used primarily in mergers and acquisitions where a hostile bid is present, and obviously unwanted.
Wow! this is a great post from you. One great ASUS Laptop model with anti theft technology that you have been posted. I love to have this kind of laptop soon. Thanks for sharing this with complete product details. You can visit also http://laptopreviewsblog.co.uk
ummm....this intel anti-theft technology seems a bit old school. i have a dell and it comes with a finger print biometric scan to turn on the computer. so if my laptop ever gets stolen, they need my finger print to turn on my laptop. then again, the theives take my laptop apart and sell it for parts, well a pc laptop isnt worth much these days. take a look at this article, www.justaskgemalto.com/en/personal-data/tips/what-biometrics, on biometrics, its a pretty interesting type of technology.