http://preyproject.com/ comes to mind.
I agree with encryption being a better option, but the risk is if you don't shut down then your encryption key is still stored in RAM (most cold boot RAM extraction issues have been solved by shutdown scripts in the last few years, I think?) and if there's a bug in your screensaver (or whatever locks people out when you resume from standby) then they can bypass it and get full access to all your data. (E.g. Google for gnome-screensaver bypass vulnerability or, even more worryingly, Xorg screen lockers bypass vulnerability [1].)
For a typical thief encryption is sufficient, but if someone is determined to get your data you might want to add additional precautions.
I would never use a laptop without encryption these days - just the amount your web browser caches about you is enough to worry me about someone stealing that data, even if I never store passwords/etc.
Benjie.
[1]:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3484859
On 14 Nov 2012, at 09:34, Victor Churchill wrote:
>
>
> On 14 November 2012 09:30, Michael Pavling <pavling@???> wrote:
> On 14 November 2012 09:25, Tony Whitmore <tony@???> wrote:
> Are there any options for remote wiping Linux systems, in the case of them being lost or stolen? I'm sure that some funky trigger mechanism could be set up using dyndns and SSH, but I was looking for something that would scale to a larger number of devices.
>
> If you're using Linux, and are concerned for your local machine's data, it would probably be better to encrypt your partitions rather than rely on some tool to lock the stable door.
>
> Encrypted partitions don't suffer from the flaws of "remote wipe" software.
> - no accidental wipes
> - no need for the machine to be online to receive a signal
> - no risk of drives being slaved to other machines
>
> ... oh, but there is something so Evil Doctor about a remote wipe ... mwahahahaaa :)
> --
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