C.T.R.S. is a program that is designed to assist in the recovery of stolen computers. C.T.R.S. does this by using the telephone network to help detect the actual physical location of stolen computers and the persons operating them.

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Copyright Chris Parry 2002

 

 

 

 

 

 

CORPORATE USERS

C.T.R.S. can be set to operate in either of two ways-

1: The 'No Password', set and forget method
Using the 'No Password' method, every time a computer with C.T.R.S. installed on it is turned on it will attempt to secretly call your specified telephone number.

2: The 'Password' method
Using the 'Password' method, C.T.R.S. will only attempt to secretly call your specified telephone number if the password is not entered within a certain amount of time after the computer is turned on ( you can set what ever time limit you like ). The password is entered using any Text Editor or Word Processor program, so there is nothing to alert the thief that your computer is protected by C.T.R.S.. If the password is not entered within the specified time C.T.R.S. will secretly call your specified telephone number, and will continue to call again after a set period of time. Again, you can set how long C.T.R.S. waits before making the second and subsequent calls.

If your computer is stolen you will be able to receive these calls then use Caller ID to determine what number your computer is calling from and pass these details on to the Police. If Caller ID is un-available or blocked by the thief, simply record the time that you received the calls and pass the details on to the Police so that they can consult your telephony companies records or logs.

The table below summarises the two possible options

	NO PASSWORD	PASSWORD
Secretly Makes calls	Every time the computer is turned on	Only if the password is not entered after the computer is turned on
Number of calls made	One, each time the computer is turned on	If the password is not entered in time - at set intervals until the computer is turned off
Ease of use	Easy, just set once and forget	Password needs to be entered each time the computer is turned on
Benefits	Anyone can use the computer without knowing a password or knowing the computer is protected by C.T.R.S. Even your staff need not know	No calls are made if the password is entered in time
Issues	Possible inconvenience and / or expense of calls made	Staff may wonder why they have to enter a password into an anonymous, invisible program

How you choose to set C.T.R.S. will depend on the number of computers that are protected by C.T.R.S. and the telephony resources available to you. For large organisations with many computers, a dedicated or infrequently used telephone number should be assigned to C.T.R.S. so that stolen computers will not interupt normal business operation with the telephone calls they make. Smaller organisations that will be less disrupted by the calls from stolen computers may consider setting up a dedicated phone number un-necessary and simply assign the business or a home telephone number to C.T.R.S..

 

HOME USERS

C.T.R.S. can be set to operate in either of two ways -

1: The 'No Password', set and forget method
For the typical home user with a desktop computer, selecting the 'No Password' option is probably the best method. This way, every time your computer is turned on, it will secretly attempt to call your home telephone number. If your computer is at home, where it should be, it will not be able to make the call and it will hang up. If your computer has been stolen, it will be secretly making the call from another location and you will be able to receive the call. You can then use Caller ID to determine what number your computer is calling from and pass these details on to the Police. If Caller ID is un-available or blocked by the thief, simply record the time that you received the calls and pass the details on to the Police so that they can consult your telephony companies records or logs.

2: The 'Password' method
If you want to use C.T.R.S. on a mobile computer ( laptop ) or, if you use your computer in different locations and you don't want the inconvenience and possible expense of it calling your home telephone every time your computer is turned on, you can set C.T.R.S. to use the 'Password' method. With this method, C.T.R.S. does not make any calls if the password is entered within a certain amount of time after the computer is turned on ( you can set what ever time limit you like ). The password is entered using any Text Editor or Word Processor program, so there is nothing to alert the thief that your computer is protected by C.T.R.S.. If the password is not entered within the specified time C.T.R.S. will secretly call your home telephone number, and will continue to call again after a set period of time. Again, you can set how long C.T.R.S. waits before making the second and subsequent calls. You will be able to receive these calls then use Caller ID to determine what number your computer is calling from and pass these details on to the Police. If Caller ID is un-available or blocked by the thief, simply record the time that you received the calls and pass the details on to the Police so that they can consult your telephony companies records or logs.

The table below summarises the two possible options

	NO PASSWORD	PASSWORD
Secretly Makes calls	Every time the computer is turned on	Only if the password is not entered after the computer is turned on
Number of calls made	One, each time the computer is turned on	If the password is not entered in time - at set intervals until the computer is turned off
Ease of use	Easy, just set once and forget	Password needs to be entered each time the computer is turned on
Benefits	Anyone can use the computer without knowing a password or knowing the computer is protected by C.T.R.S.	No calls are made if the password is entered in time

 

F.A.Q.s

• Do I need any special equipment to use CTRS ?
  No, see System Requirements .
   
• Won't a thief be alerted to CTRS by the noises made from the modem ?
  No, CTRS dials silently and there will be nothing on the screen to indicate that CTRS is operating.
   
• Will CTRS interupt my normal telephone calls ?
  No.
   
• What if the thief formats my Hard Drive and re-installs the operating system ?
  CTRS will not work, but thieves tend to be lazy and risk takers by nature - so there is a high probability that CTRS will remain operating on a stolen computer. Some programs claim that they can survive formatting - read the fine print.
   
• Do I need an internet connection ?
  No.
   
• Would a stolen computer be easier to trace if CTRS could also send the IP address that the thief is using ?
  In nearly all cases, no.
   
• Do I need to have caller ID ?
  No.
   
• I use cable or satellite for my internet connection, will CTRS still work ?
  Only if you also have a normal telephone modem installed. If you do not have one they are very inexpensive to buy.
   
• How difficult is it for a thief to detect CTRS ?
  Even when your computer is stolen, there is nothing to indicate that CTRS is running during normal computer operation. But, however unlikely , a thief with a reasonably high degree of technical competence that also knows to look for CTRS will be able to remove it.
  Please read the installation instructions carefully to make this as difficult as possible.
   
• If I forget to enter my password, will CTRS interupt my internet connection ?
  No.
   

 

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

• Microsoft Windows '95 or later.
• A standard AT Hayes compatible modem (internal or external) connected to a COM port in the usual way.

 

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