Intel Could Bring ‘Kill Switches’ to Laptops

[CommanderFrank]

Kill switches: not just for smartphones any longer. If Intel follows through on development of its concept project, the Wireless Credential Exchange, smartphones may not be the only technology that will have a ‘kill switch’ option.

One feature is the ability to disable a device prior to shipping and then only reactivating the device once it reaches its final destination. This would render a device useless if it were lost or stolen during shipment.

 

[Ashbringer]

Won't work and do not want. Sounds like a great way to prevent resale.

 

[hdfreedom]

Sounds like just another way for the government to screw with people.

 

[Sherk]

Also sounds like just another way for shit to quit working. Quality sucks these days anyway.

 

[Deleted member 88227]

Just wait till someone writes some program that disables your laptop permanently if you don't buy their cleanup software.

 

[Ducman69]

Sounds like a way for laptop manufacturers to lock people into payment plans with contracts, may even start requiring mobile data plans for them.

Honestly, it sounds like a solution looking for a problem.

 

[dragonstongue]

however, if it requires a specific reader that only so many places have access to, then it seems a very secure way of doing things. Cannot be any worse then those stupid bio-metric finger pads to use things. This sounds quite nice and probably will be extremely short range manual not relying on external (not online and requires specific hardware to do its thing)

 

[rflcptr]

Sounds like a way to rile people up on forums.

 

[Spidey329]

Sounds like a way to rile people up on forums.

Eh, pretty much. The soul of this tech has existed in some form or another for years. Old DELL laptops have a chip on them puts a password (if enabled). Without the password, you could sometimes get a crack to work but otherwise you had to solder a chip on (SMD) with a knock password.

 

[Spidey329]

Eh, pretty much. The soul of this tech has existed in some form or another for years. Old DELL laptops have a chip on them puts a password (if enabled). Without the password, you could sometimes get a crack to work but otherwise you had to solder a chip on (SMD) with a knock password.

*known

 

[Ashbringer]

Eh, pretty much. The soul of this tech has existed in some form or another for years. Old DELL laptops have a chip on them puts a password (if enabled). Without the password, you could sometimes get a crack to work but otherwise you had to solder a chip on (SMD) with a knock password.

Laptops get away with this crap more so compared to desktops. All computers can be password locked through the BIOS. Can't get in the machine without it or removing the CMOS battery. It's already effective since the average rap music loving thief couldn't drive a stick shift car if his life depended on it, let alone take apart a laptop just to reset the CMOS. Why add a remote security option anyway, other then shifting the power over to the corporation? Isn't it bad enough we have to deal with Windows activation?

Cell phones make sense cause people are getting hurt over their over priced phone, but people aren't going everywhere with their laptops to worry about it.

 

[celeron300]

Sounds like just another way for the government to screw with people.

+1 !

 

[SGA76]

This could be useful in a corporate setting where the companies buy the laptops and can kill them should they be stolen or suspect of being used to smuggle out trade secrets.
For individuals however, this just has ransomware written all over it with no practical home use to it.

 

[Jagger100]

Instead of buying, you'll lease and by the time 4-5 years is up, you'll probably have paid almost double if you bought new.

 

[westrock2000]

Incidentally this would get rid of the sealed new in box concept as laptops would be open box before shipping.

 

[Phoenix333]

This could be useful in a corporate setting where the companies buy the laptops and can kill them should they be stolen or suspect of being used to smuggle out trade secrets.

It's completely useless for that. Anyone doing corporate espionage is going to plant a rootkit on the machine that phones home and let the user be oblivious to it, or if they do physically lift the machine they'll yank the hard drive and clone it before trying to actually access anything with the machine powered on. Even if you made some magic self-erasing hard drive that can wipe itself while powered off, if someone's that desperate for secrets it's not too hard to get a professional data recovery lab to do a forensic scan of the drive. Short of having the hard drive burst into flames with an integrated thermite charge someone can and will get your data if they really want to.

 

[nutzo]

It's completely useless for that. Anyone doing corporate espionage is going to plant a rootkit on the machine that phones home and let the user be oblivious to it, or if they do physically lift the machine they'll yank the hard drive and clone it before trying to actually access anything with the machine powered on. Even if you made some magic self-erasing hard drive that can wipe itself while powered off, if someone's that desperate for secrets it's not too hard to get a professional data recovery lab to do a forensic scan of the drive. Short of having the hard drive burst into flames with an integrated thermite charge someone can and will get your data if they really want to.

If your data is that valuable, then it should be encrypted on the drive. You can get drives with built in encryption, so anyone who stole the computer wouldn't be able to access the data, even if they pulled the drive. Of course if all they want is the computer, they could just install a new drive.....

 

[rat]

Sounds like just another way for the government corporations to screw with people.

to-may-toh, toh-mah-to.

 

[GaryS]

Sounds like just another way for the government to screw with people.

Just adding to the chorus -
- do not want it
- won't buy it

There are other ways to lock a motherboard and data - currently available.

 

[Aluisious]

...laptop BIOS passwords have been able to do this for years.

 

[pclov3r]

This kinda already exists. Intel Anti-Theft anybody with a TPM Chip?

 

[jcvjcvjcvjcv]

Sounds like just another way for the government to screw with people.

^^that

 

[CreepyUncleGoogle]

Ohs noes! That thar gubment is gonna take away y'all's kerpooterz so thar ain't gonna be no more of them streamin' vidyas n' beer! It were that CIANSAFBIATF plot that dun it!