Stolen Mac helps nab burglary suspects

A remote-desktop access feature found in some Macintoshes is being credited with leading police to two suspects in the burglary of an apartment in New York.

In addition to flat-screen TVs, iPods, and DVDs, the thieves made off with two laptops, one of which belonged to Kait Duplaga, an Apple store employee, according to a report in The New York Times on Saturday.

While police in White Plains, N.Y., were coming up empty with their investigation, Duplaga learned that her computer was being used on the Internet, and she turned on the Back to My Mac feature installed on her Mac from another Mac, according to the report.

The feature allowed Duplaga to see immediately how the computer was being used at the time, as well as operate it remotely. Recalling that she had a camera installed on the computer, the fast-thinking Duplaga snapped images of one of the burglary suspects before he realized what was happening, according to the Times. Duplaga showed the image to friends, who recognized the suspect as someone who attended a party at the apartment.

The photo led police to arrest two suspects on Wednesday and recover nearly all the stolen property.

"It doesn't get much better than their bringing us a picture of the guy actually using the stolen property," Daniel Jackson, the deputy commissioner of public safety in White Plains, told the newspaper. "It certainly made our job easier."

The Back to My Mac feature, which runs on Leopard-based Macintoshes, requires a $99 subscription to the .Mac online service.

[Jens Peermann-2231419515406315]

All we need now is to take that technology and install it into vehicles as "Back to my Car".

[kwestin]

This is very similar to GadgetTrak's Mac Theft Recovery software

<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.gadgettrak.com/products/verey/" target="_newWindow">http://www.gadgettrak.com/products/verey/</a>

The software utilizes the built in iSight camera to capture video of thieves...without having to pay for the $99 a year .Mac account.

[The_happy_switcher]

One more reason why Macs are better than Windows.

[krosavcheg]

the Macintosh savessss the day!

[cs30109]

"One more reason why Macs are better than Windows."

Please. Windows XP has always had remote desktop, which can easily do the same thing. Furthermore, it doesn't cost an extra $99.

[Apta Good]

[Apta Good]

However Remote Desktop requires Windows XP Pro and the computer must have a video camera. Moreover if there's a router in the connection Remote Desktop won't work. Does that equal $99?

[mikeschr]

To do that with Remote Desktop, you would have to know the IP address of the thieves, in which case you'd already know who they were. Back to My Mac doesn't have the same requirement.
Actually, Back to My Mac is mostly just VNC, but the computer reports its identity to the .mac server, which is what allowed this owner to recover her computer.
Isn't it funny how people who like to claim that Windows software does the same things as Mac software don't have a clue how Mac software works?

[rpdwpb]

I would like you to connect to your PC when its sitting somewhere else. Don't speak if you don't know. Unless you have a broadcast protocol running you wont know the IP to connect (LIKE A MAC). Just put your RDP back in your pants and ****!!! Also good like with taking a picture on your PC.. that crap will blue screen when the thief plugs in your 8yr old usb webcam. Even the crooks chose APPLE maybe you should too.........

[Riquez-001]

I tried this when my XP laptop was stolen but it said p4rr7hX5nnM.dll could not be found. Bugger.

[invispace]

How is this news? Really. This is just a fluff article.

[gmocep]

Yes, Windows machines probably have a feature like this built in (although one bad .dll file or autoexecbat setting and it's dead in the water) BUT the real downside is: if it works, you get your Windows machine back!

[agnostic-usa]

Geeeeze... Please set down your Apple flavored cool-aid and get of your soapbox please. Your evangelism laughable... We have heard your "Find the perfection that is the God Apple" for decades and it is highly amusing hearing this mantra still echoing from the fan boys. I know this is blasphemy in your deity's eyes... but it is a darn computer operating system guys... not a 1x4x9 black monolith orbiting a nearby gas giant.... Get a life and move on please.

[The_happy_switcher]

Jealousy rears its ugly head.

[ralfthedog]

I give you points for the Clark reference, even if you are a Windows user.

[agnostic-usa]

Geeeeze... Please set down your Apple flavored cool-aid and get of your soapbox please. Your evangelism laughable... We have heard your "Find the perfection that is the God Apple" for decades and it is highly amusing hearing this mantra still echoing from the fan boys. I know this is blasphemy in your deity's eyes... but it is a darn computer operating system guys... not a 1x4x9 black monolith orbiting a nearby gas giant.... Get a life and move on please.

[chunkylimey]

Has no one else noticed the scary part of this story? That if it's possible for someone to remotely access your mac and spy on you.... great for catching thieves but who else is watching?

Steve Jobs... the REAL Big Brother?

PS: Apple lovers.. boring... Apple haters... pathetic.

[Lee in San Diego]

Have you noticed that to remotely access the Mac you need to enter a user name and password? Have you noticed the number of spyware programs that run under Windows/

[The_Decider]

How do you know that there isn't a back door, and the requirement of a username/password doesn't stop the provider from being able to use it.

This is a serious privacy issue.

[therealbean]

It is a serious issue, especially if buying a second-hand Mac.

[Lee in San Diego]

"It is a serious issue, especially if buying a second-hand Mac."

How so? Unless, of course, didn't delete the previous user accounts.

[inverse137]

I don't know if I would use that as your argument for whey Mac's are better than PCs. I remember a similar article years ago where the victim used the locator service of Netopia's Timbuktu. it wasn't as sophisticated as snapping a pciture with the iSight, but the result was the same.

[solitare_pax]

*YAWN* The original NY Times article was far better &#38; more detailed than this two day late rehash. In reference to an earlier post: you can install a GPS tracking device in your car to keep track of it - police &#38; some deranged stalkers have been doing it for some time, --- it is an option on some high-end car models.

[Brad Eleven]

"The photo lead police to arrest two suspects on Wednesday and recover nearly all the stolen property."

The past tense of the verb "to lead" is "led." When the word "lead" is pronounced with a short 'e', it refers to element 82 in the periodic table.

[The_Decider]

There are serious privacy issues involved that need to be discusses.

No, having to log in doesn't stop the people running the Back to my Mac from monitoring you.

If this was a MS or Google program, there would be a lot of complaints about it.

[kgodden]

Jens,
General Motors already DOES have something similar to that. When a GM car is stolen, the police can bring the car to a halt through OnStar. OnStar can also inform the police where the car is located.

[open-mind]

How do you know the cable/satellite company is not watching you through a camera that's behind your TV screen?

How do you know the telephone company is not listening to you even when your land/cell phone is hung up?

lol

Clearly, Steve Jobs founded Apple only to satiate his voyeuristic addiction.

[gggg sssss]

If if the Crapple was connected thru even a cheap router, how would Back to Mac get through?

[Lee in San Diego]

Well if it is "cheap" router then it probably wouldn't work:

"Back to My Mac is compatible with AirPort Extreme, AirPort Express, or third-party routers which fully support NAT Port Mapping Protocol (NAT-PMP) or Universal Plug and Play (UPnP)." <a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.apple.com/dotmac/backtomymac.html" target="_newWindow">http://www.apple.com/dotmac/backtomymac.html</a>

[fksvermeer]

gggg sssss: it's called VPN. This creates a dedicated link to your computer which is encrypted.

[chetdude]

It's available for free on a PC: LogMeInFree.com -- EVERYTHING on a Mac has a price tag attached to it and a BS return policy...

[benjaminstraight]

Where is the CSI episode for this?