Locking owner information; is this possible?

[Guest mike-oh]

Does anyone know of a way to lock or preventing any unauthorised persons from altering the owner information in the settings menu? It would be quite handy in the case of theft so that if anyone tried to sell the phone on it would still be there and unalterable.

Obviously a hard reset would wipe it but your common thieving git wouldn't know how to do one.

cheers

mike

ps: I do have the phone lock setting switched on so that it locks itself after an hour, but still....Or maybe i'm just being paranoid?

They're all after my SPV you know! ALL OF THEM!

[Guest martin]

Does anyone know of a way to lock or preventing any unauthorised persons from altering the owner information in the settings menu? It would be quite handy in the case of theft so that if anyone tried to sell the phone on it would still be there and unalterable.

Not that I know of.

I did find this topic interesting for Action Lock on the Smart network ROM update and it would be great to see this on the next Orange ROM update. Maybe somebody knows ?

Pointed out by mapaman on the pinoy columns.

Do you know that together with Action Update and Action Backup, the new ROM also installs a program called "Action Lock"? 

But to use Action Lock (i.e. if you lose your phone), you need to have run Action Backup at least once... 

Here's what the vendor's website (Action Engine) says about it: 

Action Lock is a security utility that is used to quickly backup data and disable a lost or stolen smart device, upon direction by the owner, using a wireless connection. A remote administrator can send a wireless "lock" command to the smart device, rendering the device useless. Action Lock enables a remote administrator to perform specific tasks: 

- Erase files and data stored in RAM 

- Disable the user interface and perform a data backup(using Action Backup). 

- Wirelessly provision new software (using Action Update). 

- Perform a combination of the above tasks. 

Action Lock enables a remote administrator to erase the user's data from the device with the option of first performing a backup. While these actions are taking place on the device, the device's user interface is disabled and no visible notifications are used indicate that these actions are occurring. For the backup option to work, the user must already have a valid backup account (see Action Backup for more details) and have at least backed up once before.

http://www.actionengine.com/Products/ActionLock.asp

[Guest Gorskar]

I didn't know about that!

My SPV is set to lock and require a password after only 5 mins of inactivity, so If someone thieves it they wont be putting any calls to Saudia Arabia on my bill! (Although Orange care would cover me for that probably) Combined with the SIM lock on startup makes it fairly secure methinks.

[Guest rcraswell]

Note: the "Orange Support" link in the Orange SPV Startup folder points to an executable named AELock.exe.

Note2: Action Lock only requires that the user run Action Backup first if the remote backup function is desired. An administrator can still lock the phone and erase private data without the aid of Action Backup.

[Guest mike-oh]

Does sound quite good that. I hope they do include.

In my owner information i've left a little message to any potential recipient of my lost phone; the thief, the bloke who bought it off him in the pub, or the innocent person who found it and an incentive for them to return it. Along with contact details. Which is why it would be handy to lock it.

[Guest mike-oh]

Oh one other thing.

If you rename biologin.exe to biologin.scr you can use it with pocket candy to come on after a few mins! great fun if your mate borrows your phone of you. (don't know what biologin is? do a search for that or biometric login, i can't post a link cos i'm on my phone!)

[Guest midnight]

i think the main point is that no phone is totally secure, sure, you can put in a sim lock/password, or whatever, but a simple hard reset soon gets rid of any protection you have added (dont forget a quick search on the net is all that is required to find out how to hard reset the phone), this in my mind is a major security flaw. What should happen is similar to the bios lock on computers, the lock is initiated before you can even start windows and even before anyone could hard reset the phone, This of course would make the phone totally secure when combined with the sim lock/password lock.

As phones get more and more complex, the amount of personal and private/confidential information increases, and it is this information that needs to be protected. (of course i am talking about some way of locking out the storage card from the smartphone and pc, as all info on the phone itself is lost during a hard reset)

[Guest wbloore]

I believe that networks are now required to block a mobile phone which is reported lost or stolen, by blocking the IMEI number. The Government told the networks to voluntarily do this last year, or risk laws being imposed on them to do it.

When my SPV was lost several months, Orange told me that no-one will be able to use the phone for any calls, even if they put in a SIM card from another network.

Of course, it doesn't protect your personal information stored on the phone or get the phone back to you, but it does give thiefs less incentive to try to steal an SPV (or any other type of mobile phone).

[Guest capt_janeway]

Just as an aisde to the stolen phone scenario - had mine nicked and when I got my replacement I discovered I had a voicemail from the thief's mate along with his mobile number etc.

Passed it along to the police but no feedback as yet though

[Guest Will]

priceless..

Just as an aisde to the stolen phone scenario - had mine nicked and when I got my replacement I discovered I had a voicemail from the thief's mate along with his mobile number etc.  

i'd be ringing that number at 'odd' hours, just to ask for my phone back.

Will

[Guest mike-oh]

Surely chopping they're fingers off is the biggest deterent to thieves! Then they can't steal again (god i'm turning into my dad)