Lenovo Laptops to Allow Remote Disable via SMS

Your data means a lot to you, and Lenovo is looking to add one more layer of security to it with their latest concoction – a remote disable that you activate using a text message. The system, called Lenovo Constant Secure Remote Disable will be rolling out as early as 2009. The remote disable allows anyone with a lost or stolen laptop to simply send a text message that will completely lock down the computer. According to Stacy Cannady, Lenovo’s Product Manager of Security, the computer waits to be turned on by the would-be thief, then locks itself down and uses this time to encrypt the hard drive. Once the machine is recovered all it takes is a “resurrection” password to completely unlock the whole thing. According to Cannady, “The limitation here is that you have to have a WAN card in the PC and you must be paying a data plan for it. If that is true, when someone steals the PC, you can whip out your cell phone and send a message to your PC, wherever it is, and when the PC gets that message, ... (link)