The Remote Security Suite
SafeByte Backup is the first and only Online Backup Service to offer you this new level of protection for your computer and your data. The SafeByte Backup Remote Security Suite is your personal watchdog for your computer and its data.
If your computer is lost or stolen, you can log into your SafeByte Backup account from any computer using just a web browser. You will then be able to activate the Remote Security Suite to do any or all of the following:
· Erase Sensitive Data - You can order your computer to erase files on your computer that have been backed up to SafeByte Backup. You can even shred files with military-level file shredding technology that cannot be reversed. This prevents your sensitive data from falling into the wrong hands. Data will not be erased from the SafeByte Backup Data Center.
· Take Pictures & Record Sound - The Remote Security Suite can activate your computer's built-in camera and microphone, recording in one minute segments and uploading to your SafeByte Backup account. This lets you see and hear who is using your computer.
· Send Technical Details - Your computer will collect and send to your SafeByte Backup account technical information about its environment, including networks to which it is connected, and other data that might help zero in on who is using your computer.
· Track a Stolen Computer - Using a unique geolocation technology that does not require a GPS in your computer, the Remote Security Suite collects and transmits location information. You can then look up this information in public databases to help find your computer.
· Freeze Normal SafeByte Backup Operations - This prevents a computer thief from accessing your SafeByte Backup account.
All the data collected by your computer will be transmitted and stored in your SafeByte Backup account, accessible with a web browser.
DISCLAIMER: The data collection features of the Security Suite rely on hardware installed on your computer, such as its camera, microphone, and wireless Ethernet card. SafeByte Backup will be able to collect information only if this equipment is installed, operational, and compatible with SafeByte Backup.
Geolocation is approximate, and depends on the accuracy of the commercial databases SafeByte Backup uses to look up IP addresses and wireless SSID information. SafeByte Backup will not be able to exactly pinpoint the location of a missing computer with the accuracy of a GPS. The best it can do is to give an approximate location based on the IP address and the SSID broadcasts of wireless access points within range of its wireless Ethernet adapter.
Activating the Remote Security Suite
The Security Suite can be activated through a web browser by logging into your account at the SafeByte Backup website.
Browse to http://SafeByte Backup.com and select Login and then SafeByte Backup Personal from the web site’s menu.
Enter your username and password. If you have forgotten your password, click the here link at the bottom of the login screen, and follow the instructions on page 17-1.
If you have forgotten your username, you must contact SafeByte Backup Tech Support during normal Tech Support hours. A fee may be charged for retrieving a username.
In an emergency, if you do not have access to a web browser, SafeByte Backup Tech Support may be able to activate the Remote Security Suite for you. There may be a fee charged for immediate access to a live Support Technician.
At the User Console, select the Preferences tab. Click the Security Suite button.
To activate the Security Suite, place a checkmark in the Activate Security Suite checkbox.
Select the File Protection setting you want, or select None. Selecting Erase or Shred WILL DELETE FILES FROM YOUR COMPUTER! See page 18-12.
Click Save Changes to activate.
Now What?
Within 30 minutes (or the next time your computer is connected to the Internet) it will deactivate its SafeByte Backup user interface so it cannot be used.
It will then optionally erase or shred the files on your computer that have been selected for backup, snap a picture, record 20 seconds of sound, and send all this information (and more) to your SafeByte Backup account.
The information is sent to your account over a secure connection, and is encrypted before transmission using the encryption key you selected when you installed SafeByte Backup.
Every 30 minutes that it is connected to the Internet your computer will transmit information from its wireless Ethernet card. This information may be able to be used to help locate your computer.
Your computer will continue to send information to your account as long as SafeByte Backup is installed on it (and the Remote Security Suite remains activated,) every time it is connected to the Internet.
Your account can hold 1 gigabyte of security information. When your account has collected 1 gigabyte, it will begin to delete the oldest information to make room for the latest.
Your 1 gigabyte of storage space allocated to the Remote Security Suite is separate from your normal disk storage quota, and is not a part of it.
See page 18-6 to learn how to view the information.
How does Geolocation work?
SafeByte Backup collects several pieces of information that can point to an approximate location of your computer. SafeByte Backup gives you this information in a format that can help you look it up in various databases to help locate your computer.
A little detective work is usually required. SafeByte Backup will not be able to give you an exact address and room number.
IP Address – Every computer that is connected to the Internet has an IP address. This is number that is assigned to the computer when it connects to the Internet. Blocks of IP addresses are allocated by a central authority to various Internet Service Providers (ISPs) throughout the world. ISPs allocate specific addresses within their IP blocks to their customers as they log in and out of the Internet.
SafeByte Backup detects the IP address of your computer when it connects to the Internet. It then looks up your IP address in a commercial database that contains the geographical location of millions of IP addresses, and pinpoints its closest guess on a Google map.
SafeByte Backup’s guess about the location of a computer based on IP address alone is usually within a few miles of the true location. Most of the time, SafeByte Backup pinpoints the ISP itself, or his NOC or upstream provider. This is usually good enough to isolate a computer to a specific city or section of a city.
Wireless Networks - The landscape is full of wireless networks broadcasting important information. Your computer’s wireless Ethernet card can detect them, and SafeByte Backup can record them. Geolocation using wireless network information is not an exact science. It may require a little detective work and knowledge of the local area.
Think of a street-level map of your city. Many of the businesses along the streets have wireless networks installed. These wireless networks broadcast their signals in circles about 1000 feet around the wireless access points in the networks. Some signals are stronger, so the circles are bigger.
If your computer is at a Starbuck’s, it will pick up the Starbuck’s wireless signal the strongest. There’s also a Cigar Shop in the shopping center behind the Starbuck’s, so your computer picks up that signal, too, but much weaker than the Starbuck’s. There’s a Hilton hotel ¼ mile away, and your computer can pick up that signal, too.
SafeByte Backup records all these signals and their strengths, and sends the data to your SafeByte Backup account. Now, if you could positively identify the signals, you could find the location of your computer like this:
The computer is very close to (maybe inside) a Starbuck’s. We know this because the signal is very strong. But we may not know which Starbuck’s location. We also have a signal from the Cigar Shop, and a little farther away (because the signal is weaker,) a Hilton Hotel.
Now with a little detective work and local knowledge, we can find a Starbuck’s that is within ¼ mile of a Hilton hotel, and even closer to a Cigar Shop. Maybe we’ll phone the Hilton and ask the location of the nearest Starbuck’s; or ask if there’s a cigar shop nearby.
WIFI Geolocation Databases – Several companies and organizations are currently developing databases that contain the exact location of WIFI access points. While we personally find that kind of data collection a little creepy, it is very useful in locating your lost computer.
SafeByte Backup is committed to improving our service to you. So, creepy or not, we will continue to improve our ability to pinpoint your lost computer using these databases as they grow.
War Driving Databases – “War Driving” is a game that involves collecting information about wireless networks. There are many variations of the game, some fairly innocent, and some illegal. They go something like this:
Players install software on their laptop computers or smart phones which detects and records information about wireless networks. They then drive their cars through neighborhoods and business areas recording networks and addresses as they go.
In the more innocent version of the game, players upload their records to a central database and get points for how many unique networks they detected. In other versions, players try to access the networks illegally.
Some of these War Driving databases are online and searchable. Since they are sometimes considered illegal in some locations, access to the databases via the web is sometimes unreliable.
The SafeByte Backup web site contains a list of these databases that can be used to look up wireless networks to try to find out where they are.
Viewing Security Suite Information
After you have activated the Remote Security Suite (page 18-2) your computer will begin sending security information to your SafeByte Backup account. You can log into your account at the SafeByte Backup web site to view this information.
If you have selected to Shred or Erase files, those files will have been shredded or erased by the time the security information reaches your account.
Your lost computer must be turned on and connected to the Internet for it to respond to your Activation request. In some cases, lost or stolen computers may never respond to Activation requests because they are destroyed or reformatted before they are connected to the Internet. It might take days or weeks for your computer to be turned on and connected.
If your computer is turned on and connected to the Internet at the time you activate the Remote Security Suite, it can take up to 30 minutes for it to respond. If it is turned on and connected to the Internet after you activate it, it will respond immediately.
Browse to http://SafeByte Backup.com and select Login and then SafeByte Backup Personal from the web site’s menu.
Enter your username and password. If you have forgotten your password, click the here link at the bottom of the login screen, and follow the instructions on page 17-1.
If you have forgotten your username, you must contact SafeByte Backup Tech Support during normal Tech Support hours. A fee may be charged for retrieving a username.
In an emergency, if you do not have access to a web browser, SafeByte Backup Tech Support may be able to activate the Remote Security Suite for you. There may be a fee charged for immediate access to a live Support Technician.
At the User Console, select the Preferences tab. Click the Security Suite button.
Check your account regularly to see if your computer has reported any information. When it has, you will be notified by a green message at the top of the page,
Security information has been received.
It can take as long as 30 minutes to receive all the information your computer might have for you. Usually, System Information, Wireless Information, still pictures and audio come in first, followed by Video.
Your computer sends still pictures, audio, and video every time SafeByte Backup is started. It sends wireless information every 30 minutes.
Some computers are not capable of sending Video. Some network cards are incompatible with the Security Suite. The information SafeByte Backup records for you is the best your computer is able to produce.
Still Pictures
Every time your computer snaps a picture, it is recorded in your SafeByte Backup account on the Picture tab, by date and time. Click the picture you want to view.
It looks like our stolen test computer was being used by Fake Elvis.
Look around the pictures to see if you recognize anything in the background.
Audio
If your computer supports SafeByte Backup Audio, you will get about 20 seconds of audio from your computer’s built-in microphone every time SafeByte Backup is started.
Click the date and time for the audio clip you want to hear. Try to recognize voices or background sounds.
Video
If your computer supports SafeByte Backup Video, you will get a 15 second video clip from your computer’s built-in camera every time SafeByte Backup is started. You may also get audio with the clip, depending on your computer’s capabilities.
We caught a video of Fake Elvis abusing our computer with a Nerf Gun. The background shows a room with a high ceiling, painted dark green, with wooden moldings. There’s a big flat screen TV on the wall, and computer monitors behind F.E. – details that might help you recognize the location.
Wireless Information
Your computer sends information from its wireless Ethernet card when SafeByte Backup is started, and every 30 minutes thereafter.
Wireless networks broadcast several kinds of information that can be useful.
NAME (SSID) – One of the things many (but not all) wireless networks broadcast is the Service Set Identifier, or SSID. This is a word or phrase (or numbers) that are used to identify the wireless network.
Many wireless networks broadcast an SSID that can be used to identify the owner of the network. For example, Hilton Hotels use “hhonors” (Hilton Honors Club) as their SSID.
If your lost computer reports an IP address that services a Hilton hotel, and an SSID of a Hilton hotel, you can reasonably assume that your computer is in or near the Hilton hotel closest to the pinpoint on the SafeByte Backup map, being used by someone who has access to the hotel’s wireless network.
SSIDs are not unique. They are assigned by the technician who installs the wireless network, and are often left at their default values. Default values for wireless access points are usually the name of their manufacturers, like “linksys” or “belkin54g.”
Generic or default SSIDs are of little use in tracking a lost computer. What we’re looking for are descriptive names like “starbucks4503” and “cigarshop.”
Mac Address – Every wireless access point has a unique Media Access Control (MAC) Address. Unlike the SSID, no two wireless networks broadcast the same MAC Address.
Signal – This is an indication of the relative strength of the signal being received by the computer from the wireless access point. It can be used in conjunction with other signals received at the same time to estimate the position of the computer relative to the access points.
As an example, if two signals are received, one barely stronger than the other, the computer might be about half way between the two. The more signals the better. Three signals can be roughly triangulated to locate a computer.
Noise – This is an indication of the amount of static, crosstalk, and noise in the Signal. It can be used to judge the reliability of a signal’s strength.
Beakon – Wireless Access Points periodically broadcast their SSIDs and other information. On installation, technicians can set the Beakon Interval. This can be used to help further identify specific wireless access points.
Channel – Wireless Access Points broadcast on one of several channels. On installation, technicians can set the channel. This can be used to help further identify specific wireless access points.
Lookup by IP Address
You can click on any of the IP Addresses in the IP column to display its location on a Google map.
Your computer might display this warning. It indicates that you are temporarily leaving the secure environment of the SafeByte Backup website. Answer “Yes” to this warning to continue.
SafeByte Backup looks up your IP address in a commercial database that contains the geographical location of millions of IP addresses, and pinpoints its closest guess on a Google map.
SafeByte Backup’s guess about the location of a computer based on IP address alone is usually within a few miles of the true location. Most of the time, SafeByte Backup pinpoints the ISP itself, or his NOC or upstream provider. This is usually good enough to isolate a computer to a specific city or section of a city.
Lookup by NAME (SSID) and MAC Address
The SafeByte Backup web site contains a list of databases that can be used to look up wireless networks by NAME and MAC Address.
Here is a link to the SafeByte Backup database list.
File Protection
There are sensitive files on your computer – things you wouldn’t want to fall into the hands of someone with the moral character of a thief. You may have pictures of your family along with files containing your address and bank account information.
You may have accounting information, tax files, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, or trade secrets. If your computer belongs to your company, you may have very sensitive competitive information, customer lists, and other sensitive records.
If your computer becomes lost or stolen, you may be more concerned about the information on it falling into the wrong hands than you are about recovering the hardware itself.
SafeByte Backup can remotely delete the files that you have currently selected for backup. It will not delete files from the SafeByte Backup Data Centers.
SafeByte Backup can help control the security of the files on your computer by erasing them two different ways.
Standard Erase – This is the fastest way for SafeByte Backup to erase files. It erases files just like the operating system does, except it does not move them into the Recycle bin (Windows) or the Trash (Mac). While this method is fast, it leaves “shadows” of the files behind, which in some cases can be recovered.
Shred – Shred is a special kind of file destruction that is used by the US military. SafeByte Backup uses the DoD 5220.22-M protocol to make files virtually unrecoverable using data forensics programs.
Select the type of file protection you want to apply, checkmark Activate Security Suite, and click the Save Changes button.
System Information
The System Information tab contains information about your computer and its network. This information is sent by your computer every time SafeByte Backup starts, and every 30 minutes while it is connected to the Internet.
You can use this information to see if your hardware has been modified, view information about the networks it connects to, and as a “beacon” to tell when your computer is online.