Software locks down stolen laptop

Evergreen entrepreneur's program can shut hard drive remotely

By Julie Hutchinson, Special to the Rocky

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Dennis Schroeder / The Rocky

Evergreen entrepreneur Carrie Hafeman holds a laptop she disabled recently in her home. She developed The Retriever, a program that protects laptops that are lost or stolen.

A laptop is stolen every 12 seconds, according to statistics from the FBI. News of stolen laptops that contain Social Security numbers as well as medical, financial and other sensitive personal information is becoming all too frequent.

What's a laptop owner to do? Evergreen entrepreneur Carrie Hafeman believes she has an answer. Her program, The Retriever, is one of a growing number of products that protect information a laptop contains once the laptop has been stolen. And she's giving away the first download for free.

Here's how The Retriever works

1: Ownership label

Once the program is activated, the laptop is equipped with information that identifies its owner and contact information the moment it's turned on - even before the operating system software boots up.

That makes locating the computer's owner easy if it has been left behind in a taxi or on an airplane, Hafeman said. A lost-and-found department need only turn the computer on to find information to track down its owner immediately.

2: Location, location, location

If the laptop finds an Internet connection, The Retriever pinpoints the computer's location on a Google map for the owner.

3: Lock down

Once the laptop's location is pinpointed, the laptop's owner can lock down the hard drive remotely if the computer has been stolen by sending a code to the computer over the Internet from The Retriever's Web site.

Theoretically, an owner could even send a message to the thief that would display on the stolen computer's screen, Hafeman said.

It sounds like magic but, as Hafeman explains, The Retriever's software package combines capabilities that enable a computer to display ownership information from the moment its screen lights up, and then broadcast its location when it senses an Internet connection.

Hafeman decided giving the product to first-timers would be easier to manage than offering it as a trial.

"That benefits single users like college students or regular consumers," Hafeman said. "The majority of our clients are corporations, universities and government organizations who will order more than one."

The program is popular with college students, and Hafeman estimates that more than 1,000 copies have been downloaded this year.

Hafeman also offers The Retriever free to nonprofits. Last week, she provided the Indianapolis-based Visiting Nurse Service with a license that will protect 200 laptops.

"I really think our product can help people, and the last thing nonprofits need to do is replace stolen laptops when they have more important things to do with their funds," Hafeman said.

Tooti Roe, owner of a business in Kansas City, Mo., that repairs commercial coffee-brewing equipment, discovered The Retriever in a Google search after two of her business's computers were stolen. She liked The Retriever so much she ordered two copies to protect her company's replacement laptops.

"If you swipe somebody's laptop and think you're going to sit down at Starbucks, you're in for a surprise," Roe said.

Jan Beattie, director of technology for Colorado Academy, a Denver private school with 900 students from preschool through high school, uses The Retriever to protect laptops used by more than 100 teachers.

"It's not like we've had much of a problem," Beattie said. "But the more people put things on their laptops, the more you start thinking 'What if?' "

The Retriever, released in January, works on most operating systems. A version for Apple's Leopard will be available soon, Hafeman said.

The company counted more than 10,000 visits to its Web site in April and is seeking venture capital in exchange for an equity position.

Computer-security expert Bruce Schneier, chief security technology officer for BT, formerly British Telcom, said programs like The Retriever fill a growing need as laptops gain in popularity.

"Whether it will succeed in the marketplace is a whole other complicated question," Schneier said.

Hafeman, 48, brings plenty of marketing savvy to her business. With more than 20 years of experience in the computer-security industry, she has witnessed the business evolve from simple steel cables attached to computers to prevent them from being moved to sophisticated software that tracks a laptop anywhere it finds an Internet connection.

"Over the years, I've been listening to customers, and the trend is more toward laptops," Hafeman said.

She credits her software programmer, Colorado School of Mines graduate Conrad Farmer, for giving The Retriever its edge, which combines software tracking with the ownership information that displays on the computer's screen the moment it is turned on.

Hafeman also tips her hat to her father, Golden resident Ed Wilson, who works for her as a consultant. Wilson's Lightgard product has been in use since 1986 to protect stationary computers.

Hafeman has applied for a patent for The Retriever, which she said is unique because it combines the ownership label with the software tracking.

Other programs such as The CyberAngel (thecyberangel.com) and PC PhoneHome (pcphonehome.com) use similar technology but aren't free.

Additional copies of The Retriever cost $15 apiece. Volume discounts start at 100 copies. A high-volume version covers an unlimited number of laptops for a single fee.

By the numbers

25,000 or so stolen serial numbers are registered on the Web site of the Stolen Computer Registry, based in Tivoli, N.Y. Executive Director Robert Zises estimates two-thirds of those serial numbers belong to laptops. To register a computer go to stolencomputers.org.

53 percent of U.S. households will own a laptop by the end of 2008, the Consumer Electronics Association predicts. Almost half of U.S. households own a laptop computer now.

19 percent of U.S. households will buy a laptop in 2008, according to the CEA Ownership and Market Potential Study released in April. According to the CEA, sales of laptops will outpace desktops in upcoming years.

• May 12, 2008

  7:14 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  newsguy writes:

  Would have been nice if you'd included the Web site to get the free trial. Otherwise, the story is kind of frustrating: you read about it but there's no information on how to get the free copy.

• May 12, 2008

  8:20 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  rwmorrisonjr writes:

  Google is your friend: http://www.frontdoorsoftware.com/

• May 12, 2008

  9:46 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  brysenn writes:

  What if you disable the wireless access to the internet and re-boot with Windows XP in the CD drive? You could re-format the drive and completely disable "The Retriever". Granted someone with a little bit of technological knowledge would be necessary, but it seems like this software is pointless for anyone with such knowledge. I guess you get what you pay for.

• May 12, 2008

  9:53 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  ofcourse writes:

  an electric jolt into the hands of the thief, along with a video uploaded to youtube would be the best....can't wait, you IT 3am'ers get on it.

• May 12, 2008

  10:10 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  The_Punnisher writes:

  Basic security features are already on the Latitude CPx I'm using to type this missive. The trick is to get the OWNERS to use them!
  It seems that we have to design for ID ten T (l)users these days....

• May 12, 2008

  6:48 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  haliskis writes:

  I love this product! I downloaded it today from www.frontdoorsoftware.com (for all who want to know the website.)I finally feel as if my laptop is protected.

• May 12, 2008

  7:30 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  PghDenver writes:

  Great product for when I travel. Will help to get the computer back if I forget it somewhere and will also protect the data from a thief. Have looked at other products and fine it is much better than steel cables and/or stickers that can be removed or covered up. Find it at www.frontdoorsoftware.com or call World Computer Security Corp (303-670-8800) for a number of additional features not mentioned in the article. Excellent for computer leasing companies who need to get a computer back after lease is up or to shut down a computer that has been reported stolen. Great for easy bulk mailings to departments within a company or college or to everyone in a company and the notice is displayed on the startup screen where it will not be missed. I have had it on my computer for a number of months since it first came out and it works perfectly. It has so many uses besides computer security. Well designed.