Making a USB 'call home' - Hardware & Software

At my school, someone seems to like stealing USBs. Recently, I've had my [b]portable flash drive[/b] stolen (or someone has lost it). It does have hardware authentication, and no one has my password, but that doesn't stop someone from just throwing it away. I was wondering if there was a good way to make my [b]portable flash drive[/b] 'call home', so to speak. Being a programmer, I've gone and made a simple program that connects to a PHP page I'm hosting with some information on the computer that it has been connected to (IP, PC name, etc), but it's easily stoppable, as it uses the Windows autorun features - where it shows a 'list' of what you want to do - and the socket connection can be stopped by Windows Firewall (haven't tested the second one, just assuming) I'll probably find a way to get through both of these, but maybe someone can help me with it. I've noticed that U3 [b]portable flash drive[/b] s auto-open their interfaces and do not show the 'autorun selector', and that when I run Google Chrome off my [b]portable flash drive[/b] (when I had it), Windows Firewall never asks me about it. I tried googling "[b]portable flash drive[/b] calls home", "[b]portable flash drive[/b] home ping" and "[b]portable flash drive[/b] tracking", but it returns stuff about phones and GPSs [b]that connect to your computer via it's USB[/b]. Does anyone know of any premade solutions? Do those U3 [b]portable flash drives[/b] have some magic? Help!

U3 USBs have a chip inside that acts as a partition and it bypasses the autorun thingy inside the chip. If you want something to run without the thief/victim knowing, just check out the usb hacksaw/switchblade wiki. Link: [url]http://wiki.hak5.org/wiki//USB_Hacksaw[/url]

They don't have a seperate chip, it's just one flash disk split up into one big hard drive partition and one small CD one.

Maybe dumb, but wouldnt it be easier to be more careful and not have it stolen?

[QUOTE=birkett;17208818]Maybe dumb, but wouldnt it be easier to be more careful and not have it stolen?[/QUOTE] Pfff, the real way is to let someone steal it only to make them return it. Would be kinda cool, actually.

put a tracking beacon on your USB.

USB flash drives. "USB's" aren't a device, you sound like a 50 year old talking about computers.

Put a dog leash on it, that way you'll feel when it's trying to escape from you

You can make a small partition on it with the digging autorun code on it, and keep your personal stuff behind an encrypted partition. You could set up a server that listens for connections and logs data coming in from those connections. You password protect these logs so only you can view them. When you plug in the memory stick, the autorun program will try to collect identifying information from the computer it is plugged into and upload it to your special server. There's no guarantee about what kind of stuff you could collect, though. You could theoretically collect information much more valuable than the flash drive itself. I mean, you are basically writing spyware, but are reverting to the olden days of virus transmission over physical media.

Jesus tits stop calling it a USB. Your [b]flash drive[/b] is not a universal serial bus. You don't call your graphics card a DVI, and you don't call a TV an HDMI, so please don't call a flash drive a USB.

Why not, you all know what he means, he doesn't need to be super anal about everything.

[QUOTE=conman420;17214114]Why not, you all know what he means, he doesn't need to be super anal about everything.[/QUOTE] Your ASCII is pissing me off. What if I drive my NHTSA approved to your State Building Code Regulated and kicked your sexually reproducted? I'll make a MPEG-4 Part 14 and upload it to HTML. Why not? You all know what I mean, you don't need to be super anal. If you do manage to inject code, browsing history would probably be a good way to identify the bastard. MySpace, MapQuest maybe... Or, if you absolutely cannot keep an eye on it, you could run a USB cable into your backpack. Maybe make a script that plays a loud sound when your drive is unplugged?

Get a magicjack, it's a usb that can call home.

Don't be an idiot and lose it

I didn't read the whole thread because of all the arguing and stuff, but whatever. You can use an U3 flash drive to automatically start your program and I'm pretty sure the Windows Firewall only asks for permission if your program acts as a server. If it just opens a PHP page it won't ask.

[QUOTE=Night-Eagle;17214528]Your ASCII is pissing me off. What if I drive my NHTSA approved to your State Building Code Regulated and kicked your sexually reproducted? I'll make a MPEG-4 Part 14 and upload it to HTML. Why not? You all know what I mean, you don't need to be super anal. If you do manage to inject code, browsing history would probably be a good way to identify the bastard. MySpace, MapQuest maybe... Or, if you absolutely cannot keep an eye on it, you could run a USB cable into your backpack. Maybe make a script that plays a loud sound when your drive is unplugged?[/QUOTE] The difference is with the first one saying "USB" is a commonly used term, at least where I come from. No need to be so pedantic.

Code in C++, a file that "remote window share" use hex edit to undetect it. Connnect to the PC figure out the guys name (start ofc) buy a rubber chicken, beat the fuck out of him and take it back. Mkay Bai!!!!

[QUOTE=conman420;17216691]The difference is with the first one saying "USB" is a commonly used term, at least where I come from. No need to be so pedantic.[/QUOTE] Where do you live?

My solution with theft was simple, I made a program, that locked the complete pc unless you entered a password or a secret combination of keys. The whole screen is black and there is a message where the thief should meet me in school in order to unlock his pc. also it writes itself into the autostart.

USB stick, flash drive, jump drive, junk drive, USB drive, etc. Never called it or heard it called a USB.

[QUOTE=diwako;17217414]My solution with theft was simple, I made a program, that locked the complete pc unless you entered a password or a secret combination of keys. The whole screen is black and there is a message where the thief should meet me in school in order to unlock his pc. also it writes itself into the autostart.[/QUOTE] you should post it somewhere

[QUOTE=birkett;17208818]Maybe dumb, but wouldnt it be easier to be more careful and not have it stolen?[/QUOTE] Because most people go around wanting their stuff to be stolen. [editline]11:55PM[/editline] [QUOTE=ThatDamnGrei;17213954]Jesus tits stop calling it a USB. Your [b]flash drive[/b] is not a universal serial bus. You don't call your graphics card a DVI, and you don't call a TV an HDMI, so please don't call a flash drive a USB.[/QUOTE] I call your mom a whore. HURR HURR

[QUOTE=waxrock;17217810]you should post it somewhere[/QUOTE] No, since it somehow doesn't want to be detectable I fear abuse for malicious software coders. also [url=http://virusscan.jotti.org/en/scanresult/ccbdcb76f7428acc2e3cbb5fa0d5026995050dfc/8f19a211b2c6215be2383577a9ce42d96e55bd65]virusscan.jotti results[/url]

[QUOTE=nofear1999;17216799]Code in C++, a file that "remote window share" use hex edit to undetect it. Connnect to the PC figure out the guys name (start ofc) buy a rubber chicken, beat the fuck out of him and take it back. Mkay Bai!!!![/QUOTE] ...

[url]http://www.ihoundsoftware.com[/url] It's a free service that pretty much does exactly what the OP wants. Everytime it gets plugged into a comptuer when you turn on "tracking" for that device, it'll secretly record the IP address, username of the computer, rough location, time it was plugged in, etc to the website, and the website will ping to you all the information. It will also pop up a message of your choosing on the theif's computer where you can put in contact information for him/her to return it to you, if need be. It's also good for if you lose your USB flash drive and someone manages to find it. I use it for my USB flash drive and it works great. Doesn't work as well if the computer that it get's plugged into is either a mac or has completely disabled auto-play, but this is why you make it so the .exe that normally runs when it get's plugged in, is named something that the thief would want to open it up. Such as I have mine disguised with a text document icon that says "HOW_TO_UNLOCK".

wow people are stealing universal serial buses? oh noes Like above, its a flash drive for the usb ports also ihoundsoftware seems pretty good.. hmm i should try it

Make a script that puts (and hides) netannoy on the autorun list, then fuck with them to no end and watch their screen and generally piss them off. It's a fair punishment. A vigilante punishment, but still.

This may make me seem like an asshole, but don't get it stolen in the first place. I keep my USB in my right pocket most of the time when I need it during the day. I mostly use my Linux Ubuntu Portable HD system though which I just keep down in my bag.

Don't keep incriminating things on your [b]flash drive[/b] and if it gets stolen drop $15 for a new one.

I forgot that I'd made this thread. iHound looks useful. I'll try it out. Thanks :D [QUOTE=Shadaez;17209919]USB flash drives. "USB's" aren't a device, you sound like a 50 year old talking about computers.[/QUOTE] *USBs Unless you're talking about the USB owning something.