Help me keep the scum of the earth out of my email
May 29, 2010 1:09 PM Subscribe
My Ipod Touch was stolen last night. Boo Thieves. Help me protect sensitive information the thieves now have access to, please.
My Ipod Touch was stolen last night. I have it password protected to unlock, but I'm worried this is not enough of a safeguard to keep the dirty, rotten, even-your-mom-thinks-your-ugly thieves out of my personal and highly sensitive information.
I have searched askme and didn't find anything that would explain how to protect against information on a stolen device (maybe I'm doing it wrong). I also tried Google, but came up with mainly advice about installing software to help you track your device if it's stolen. Not very helpful when your Ipod has already been stolen. Also, Apple will not do anything to help with stolen products (too much liability) so I'm not even considering contacting them.
I have a couple of email accounts with work sensitive information connected to the Ipod. The accounts are set up to automatically sign me in without promping for a username or password. I currently have no protection or tracking software installed on the Ipod, so tracking it seems a little far-fetched. Is there anything I can do to protect the information or access to my email accounts? Any advice on tracking it without pre-installed software would be helpful as well. I'm going to pull the serial off of my Itunes and check out the local pawn shops. My primary concern is not getting it back (I'm resigned to the fact that it is long gone by now) but protecting the information.
My Ipod Touch was stolen last night. I have it password protected to unlock, but I'm worried this is not enough of a safeguard to keep the dirty, rotten, even-your-mom-thinks-your-ugly thieves out of my personal and highly sensitive information.
I have searched askme and didn't find anything that would explain how to protect against information on a stolen device (maybe I'm doing it wrong). I also tried Google, but came up with mainly advice about installing software to help you track your device if it's stolen. Not very helpful when your Ipod has already been stolen. Also, Apple will not do anything to help with stolen products (too much liability) so I'm not even considering contacting them.
I have a couple of email accounts with work sensitive information connected to the Ipod. The accounts are set up to automatically sign me in without promping for a username or password. I currently have no protection or tracking software installed on the Ipod, so tracking it seems a little far-fetched. Is there anything I can do to protect the information or access to my email accounts? Any advice on tracking it without pre-installed software would be helpful as well. I'm going to pull the serial off of my Itunes and check out the local pawn shops. My primary concern is not getting it back (I'm resigned to the fact that it is long gone by now) but protecting the information.
Change all of your passwords, NOW - your iPod will still need to authenticate against the server.
If you had emails in your inbox that had sensitive information, you may be out of luck, as those are cached locally... they are usually just the first 25 emails though, so go through your email on your computer and see what kind of information might be leaked. Any email you have in folders, etc. will be safe if you change your passwords.
If the email account is the only thing you're worried about (and there were no files stored locally) you're likely fine. Unless you were specifically targeted, it would be much easier for the thieves to just reformat the iPod than to crack your password.
posted by Phire at 1:15 PM on May 29, 2010 [1 favorite]
If you had emails in your inbox that had sensitive information, you may be out of luck, as those are cached locally... they are usually just the first 25 emails though, so go through your email on your computer and see what kind of information might be leaked. Any email you have in folders, etc. will be safe if you change your passwords.
If the email account is the only thing you're worried about (and there were no files stored locally) you're likely fine. Unless you were specifically targeted, it would be much easier for the thieves to just reformat the iPod than to crack your password.
posted by Phire at 1:15 PM on May 29, 2010 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: earlygrrl - I changed my passwords, I should have stated that. I made sure my new passwords are really strong. Thanks for mentioning it.
Chocolate Pickle - I thought sometimes the cows come home. I'll leave the barn door open just to see.
posted by Term of Art at 1:17 PM on May 29, 2010
Chocolate Pickle - I thought sometimes the cows come home. I'll leave the barn door open just to see.
posted by Term of Art at 1:17 PM on May 29, 2010
Good! I lost my iPhone in January. I didn't have remote wipe; it wasn't password protected. All I was able to do was change the passwords and, touch wood/to my knowledge, that was enough to protect me. When I replaced it, I sprung for the MobileMe so I could do remote wipe--definitely recommend that for your replacement.
posted by earlygrrl at 1:20 PM on May 29, 2010
posted by earlygrrl at 1:20 PM on May 29, 2010
Something to consider for next time:
If you join mobileme, you can track your phone, even if it's turned off. (You can also call it even if it's turned off.) You get a google maps view of where your phone is. Of course, that doesn't locate it exactly, but it may help.
I lose my phone so often, mobileme is worth it for me, but it's pricey ($100 a year), so it does feel a bit like saying, "Why don't I bend over one more time for you, Mr. Jobs?"
posted by grumblebee at 1:52 PM on May 29, 2010
If you join mobileme, you can track your phone, even if it's turned off. (You can also call it even if it's turned off.) You get a google maps view of where your phone is. Of course, that doesn't locate it exactly, but it may help.
I lose my phone so often, mobileme is worth it for me, but it's pricey ($100 a year), so it does feel a bit like saying, "Why don't I bend over one more time for you, Mr. Jobs?"
posted by grumblebee at 1:52 PM on May 29, 2010
Can't what?
posted by grumblebee at 3:02 PM on May 29, 2010
posted by grumblebee at 3:02 PM on May 29, 2010
You're right.
Sorry for my mistake. It works if your ringer is off, not if your phone is off.
posted by grumblebee at 4:04 PM on May 29, 2010
Sorry for my mistake. It works if your ringer is off, not if your phone is off.
posted by grumblebee at 4:04 PM on May 29, 2010
Hair-brained idea (that just might be crazy enough to work!, as they say in the movies): you might be able to flush out the cache of downloaded mail on your iPod Touch by temporarily switching your password back to the original and sending yourself 100-200 blank emails from a throwaway account. Perhaps resend the batch every few hours for 24 hours. That way, if the bastard connects to a wi-fi connection, the hundreds of blanks will replace the legit mail in the inbox. 24 hours later, permanently change your password. No idea if this will really do the trick, but page after page of blank emails might confuse/bore the person enough to simply remove the email account(s).
Since you password-protected the device, there's a good chance the jerk will simply restore the phone, which will wipe the data clean. Click to read how multiple incorrect password attempts disables the device.
posted by prinado at 9:13 PM on May 29, 2010
Since you password-protected the device, there's a good chance the jerk will simply restore the phone, which will wipe the data clean. Click to read how multiple incorrect password attempts disables the device.
posted by prinado at 9:13 PM on May 29, 2010
you've changed your passwords, now try to keep in mind that the vast majority of people stealing phones and ipods are just trying to flip it for a quick buck and are not interested in hacking your email or stealing your identity. wiping it was probably the first thing the thief did.
posted by swbarrett at 8:16 AM on May 31, 2010
posted by swbarrett at 8:16 AM on May 31, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by earlygrrl at 1:13 PM on May 29, 2010