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Undercover 1.5 Adds Push Notification Tool to iPhone Theft Recovery App

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macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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Macworld reports that Orbicule has updated its Undercover [App Store, $4.99] theft recovery application for the iPhone and iPod touch to include a tool that utilizes push notifications to entice thieves into opening the application to allow it to transmit the device's location to Orbicule's recovery center.
Now you have the ability to send push notifications with any message of your choosing directly to the iPhone - yes, just like MobileMe. But the comparisons end there. You can make the messages as enticing as you want - say, by having them pretend to be a notification from your bank account.

If the crook chooses to view the push notification, Undercover will launch, disguised either as a game that's taking its sweet time to load or loading any Website of your choosing, such as the aforementioned bank's. While the thief is distracted, Undercover will be happy to save the device's GPS coordinates and IP address to Orbicule's Website. Each time that Undercover launches, it will save a new set of coordinates that you can view in Google Maps. They'll also be sent directly to any police officer you've contacted to work on the case and registered in Orbicule's Undercover Center.
Click to expand...
Orbicule has also posted a video preview of Undercover demonstrating the new push notification feature.



Article Link: Undercover 1.5 Adds Push Notification Tool to iPhone Theft Recovery App
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2009/11/12/undercover-1-5-adds-push-notification-tool-to-iphone-theft-recovery-app/
dwman

dwman

macrumors 6502
Nov 15, 2007
359
157
San Francisco
Neat app, but all you need to do is safeguard your phone using a 4 digit passcode and they would never even get to the home screen.
 
BeyondtheTech

BeyondtheTech

macrumors 68020
Jun 20, 2007
2,146
715
Interesting concept, but the Push Notification shows "Undercover" as the application. I don't know if that's good to show, but I don't know if they have control over showing that or not, or naming it something else.
 
wackymacky

wackymacky

macrumors 68000
Sep 20, 2007
1,546
53
38°39′20″N 27°13′10″W
So Apple is endosing an App that puts up a fake pop up, to get you to click on it, enabling the App to preform a subterfuge operation.

Basicly it is "legit" trojan

could another App developer hide a simular function in An App that they push through a pop up that does harm?
 
ob81

ob81

macrumors 65816
Jun 11, 2007
1,406
356
Virginia Beach
wackymacky said:
So Apple is endosing an App that puts up a fake pop up, to get you to click on it, enabling the App to preform a subterfuge operation.

Basicly it is "legit" trojan

could another App developer hide a simular function in An App that they push through a pop up that does harm?
Click to expand...

GREAT question. Wow. I wasn't even thinking like this.
 
kiljoy616

kiljoy616

macrumors 68000
Apr 17, 2008
1,795
0
USA
nice idea but limited

I like the app, the girl is also hot good reason to put her on the video, hehe. :D

App for me would be more for knowing where your kids are than a thief, though I would say a good percentage of thief's will not know to pop out the sim card. If they are that sophisticated then they are in a different level than what this software could do. For that level of thief you would need this to be hidden and secured in a way that even if they put it thru itune or took out the SIM card once a new SIM card was put in even if it was someone else it would still work.

Yes I know way over what the cost of this app. I would say parents and maybe student who forget where they left their phone or maybe a bum on the street who steels it and does not get the chance to think to much about it. I like to see the app been able to run on the back side but apple I figure would go ballistic. :eek:
 
M

MinuteDreamer

macrumors newbie
Oct 30, 2009
12
0
wackymacky said:
So Apple is endosing an App that puts up a fake pop up, to get you to click on it, enabling the App to preform a subterfuge operation.

Basicly it is "legit" trojan

could another App developer hide a simular function in An App that they push through a pop up that does harm?
Click to expand...

Short answer: No.

Long answer: Noooooooo.

More powerful less clunky solution for jailbroken iPhones: http://www.ilocalis.com/
 
bar1967

bar1967

macrumors newbie
Nov 12, 2009
1
0
Toronto
dwman said:
Neat app, but all you need to do is safeguard your phone using a 4 digit passcode and they would never even get to the home screen.
Click to expand...

except one HUGE flaw with password is you can turn off a phone without having to enter a password. That is a must fix for a future OS release! I have learned the hard way. With in minutes of my phone being stolen (with password on) it was turned off and I assume SIM card ejected. Come to think of it, too bad there isn't a way to not eject SIM card with password on but I guess that is going a bit too far.
 
Watabou

Watabou

macrumors 68040
Feb 10, 2008
3,425
755
United States
dwman said:
Neat app, but all you need to do is safeguard your phone using a 4 digit passcode and they would never even get to the home screen.
Click to expand...

People know how to easily bypass the passcode these days. The passcode doesn't really help. It just keeps the really dumb ones away.
 
iphones4evry1

iphones4evry1

macrumors 65816
Nov 26, 2008
1,197
0
California, USA
MTShipp said:
Most thieves would know to pop the SIM immediately upon heisting the device.
Click to expand...

I disagree. I would say that 49% of iPhone thefts are professional thieves that already have their own iPhone and will immediately power off and rip the SIM out of the stolen phone, but the other 49% are most-likely people that have never had an iPhone and just want to "joy ride" it. If this software can track down HALF of stolen iPhones, it is a success compared to the current status quo.
(although I MUCH prefer the Mobile Me version where you can actually follow them in your car, on your laptop computer :) :apple: )
 
Willis

Willis

macrumors 68020
Apr 23, 2006
2,293
54
Beds, UK
Surely it wouldn't matter if you take the sim out or not. I think it registers the phones IMEI number and general hardware details as push notifications don't come by texts. ;)
 
L

lloydte

macrumors newbie
Sep 5, 2008
5
0
iphones4evry1 said:
I disagree. I would say that 49% of iPhone thefts are professional thieves that already have their own iPhone and will immediately power off and rip the SIM out of the stolen phone, but the other 49% are most-likely people that have never had an iPhone and just want to "joy ride" it. If this software can track down HALF of stolen iPhones, it is a success compared to the current status quo.
(although I MUCH prefer the Mobile Me version where you can actually follow them in your car, on your laptop computer :) :apple: )
Click to expand...


Interesting post. You have any evidence to support those figures? Would be interested to know your source, assuming you didn't just make them up of course. Also wondered about the other 2%, do they eat the phone?
 
M

MinuteDreamer

macrumors newbie
Oct 30, 2009
12
0
Watabou said:
People know how to easily bypass the passcode these days. The passcode doesn't really help. It just keeps the really dumb ones away.
Click to expand...

Waait, how easy is it to bypass the passcode?

After a quick google search, it seems to indicate that you can bypass the passcode, but only by wiping out all the data on the phone. Is that what you mean?

Being able to bypass the passcode and leave the data intact would be a huge problem for identify theft. But if they can only get there by wiping out your phone, that would be bad, but not nearly as terrible.
 
bytethese

bytethese

macrumors 68030
Jun 20, 2007
2,707
120
appleguy123 said:
Yes, A worse mobile me, that doesn't cost $99 a year for stuff that you can find much cheaper elsewhere.
Click to expand...

I didn't realize that I was paying $99/yr only for the ability to get back a lost iPhone. I thought I had web space, iDisk, pic galleries, push email, wireless contact and calendar syncing, system settings backup, etc. Stupid me. :)
MinuteDreamer said:
Waait, how easy is it to bypass the passcode?

After a quick google search, it seems to indicate that you can bypass the passcode, but only by wiping out all the data on the phone. Is that what you mean?

Being able to bypass the passcode and leave the data intact would be a huge problem for identify theft. But if they can only get there by wiping out your phone, that would be bad, but not nearly as terrible.
Click to expand...
Not easy for your avg thief, but "easy" for a forensic analyst to bypass. :)
 
M

MinuteDreamer

macrumors newbie
Oct 30, 2009
12
0
MinuteDreamer said:
Waait, how easy is it to bypass the passcode?

After a quick google search, it seems to indicate that you can bypass the passcode, but only by wiping out all the data on the phone. Is that what you mean?

Being able to bypass the passcode and leave the data intact would be a huge problem for identify theft. But if they can only get there by wiping out your phone, that would be bad, but not nearly as terrible.
Click to expand...

bytethese said:
Not easy for your avg thief, but "easy" for a forensic analyst to bypass. :)
Click to expand...

Can you be less vague? Are we talking about some guy with a laptop and a USB cable or are talking about someone with a logic probe?
 
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