Lojack! It’s like a hijack, but instead of going high, you go low! And we all know that the only way to fight with dirty thieves is to fight dirty yourself. Fortunately, Absolute’s Lojack software lets you fight back against thieves. Lojack promises that the users of their software can disable their hardware, assuming that they know it is compromised. Lojack is not the first to have this idea, but the first to implement it in an easy-to-understand way that is appropriate for users of all devices, from young to old.
Absolute’s Lojack comes equipped with a software suite that is packed full of theft recovery solutions that can aid you in recovering your stolen device. You are able to find, lock, and erase your entire device. Even if a thief is crafty enough to restore your device to hardware settings, Absolute has a persistent technology that runs constantly in the background. Lojack will reinstall itself, no matter what.
Lojack also comes equipped with a nice staff of personnel, including an Absolute Investigations Team. This team is responsible for returning more than 30,000 stolen devices in more than 100 countries. The team consists of former military servicemen, government intelligence personnel, and even law enforcement officers. Every member of the Absolute Investigations Team is an expert in internet investigation and cyber forensics.
The Specifics
Lojack comes equipped with four major functions. The first major function is the ability to locate, which allows you to find your device using GPS, Wi-Fi and IP geolocation tools. No matter which method your device used to connect to the internet, it will leave some sort of visible trace on any network in the world. Fortunately, Lojack will keep track of this and report back to you with every single step and connection, no matter how small.
The second function is a device lock, which really, really locks down your device – think of something similar to ransomware, where you’re unable to do anything (even open the task manager!) Imagine that ransomware now being helpful with the intent of locking down your device, and you have a rough idea of what the lock function is like. This is a very, very helpful tool for those moments of panic when you aren’t fully sure if your device is lost or not yet.
The third function is the ability to selectively delete and purge; using Lojack’s application or website, you are able to browse your device and command the app running on your device to delete files or folders. While you can’t go into delete the root directory or any other important directories, you can absolutely clear out vital information like phone numbers, addresses, pictures, or anything else.
The fourth function combines all the previous functions into one tangible end goal – you getting your device returned. The recover function allows for you to essentially send out the Lojack Recovery team to do their duty, and even possibly launch a criminal investigation. Lojack has been rather quiet about what the recovery team specifically does, and for good reason – their numbers are indisputable proof that they are effective.
Lojack is available for laptops, phones, and tablets. You can either cover your devices individually for a minimum of a year ($39.99 for laptops/computers and $29.99 for phones or tablets), or cover up to one of each device for an $89.99 payment each year. Lojack also comes with a personal guarantee – if your stolen device is not located and recovered within 60 days, Absolute will personally help to play for a replacement. While there are some asterisks, the policy is fairly liberal and Absolute will cover more than half of the cost to replace your device. Lojack is available for both Mac OSX and Windows, but is only available for Android and NOT the Apple Store.
