Tool remotely wipes lost laptops

LogMeIn to prevent disclosure of sensitive information from lost or stolen laptops

Remote access firm LogMeIn is developing a tool to help prevent disclosure of sensitive information from lost or stolen laptops. Due in early 2007, the product codenamed Shredder will let administrators encrypt or wipe selected folders on a missing laptop's hard drive.

LogMeIn's existing remote access service puts a small host executable onto a Windows PC, enabling it to be remotely controlled through a browser by a user with the correct credentials. Once installed, the software regularly contacts LogMeIn's server so that the PC's IP address is known. The company is now adapting this mechanism so that it can be used to communicate with missing laptops.

"Almost every day there is another story of a laptop being stolen with sensitive data on it," said LogMeIn chief executive Mike Simon. "So, we had the idea that you could send a command to have LogMeIn shred your data," he added.

The new tool will allow a laptop owner or administrator to go to LogMeIn's web site and mark their system as lost or stolen. The next time the laptop is connected to the internet and checks in with LogMeIn, it will receive a command to encrypt or overwrite pre-defined folders on the hard drive.

Anyone using a missing laptop might not connect it to a network, so pre-set rules can also trigger the shredding operation if it is unable to contact LogMeIn within a certain period of time, said Simon.

The rules can be set to encrypt files first, and then delete them at a later date, depending upon how sensitive the data is. A user could recover encrypted files if the laptop is returned within a short space of time, but eventually you would want to ensure the data is safely deleted, according to LogMeIn.

"Encryption works well, depending upon how long you need to hide something," said Simon, adding; "if it falls into 'enemy' hands, you can rest safe knowing it will be destroyed."

LogMeIn said the shredder tool will be offered separately from its remote control service, but may be offered as an upgrade to existing subscribers. The price has not been set, but is likely to be in the region of $5 to $12 (£3 to £7) per month.