Prey (software): Difference between revisions

Prey
Developer(s)	Prey Inc.
Initial release	March 24, 2009
Stable release	1.9.3
Operating system	Windows, Linux, OS X, Android, iOS
Type	Device tracking software
License	GNU General Public License; proprietary (Prey Pro)
Website	preyproject.com

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Prey is a software and online platform for mobile device tracking, management, and protection available for laptops, tablets, and mobiles. The software and service is developed by the Chilean company Prey Inc., successor of the funding company Fork Ltd.

Prey was originally created by the developer Tomás Pollak who together with Carlos Yaconi, the current CEO of the company, founded Fork Ltd. and released the first version of Prey for Linux.

Functioning

Prey started as an anti-theft software for recovering lost mobile devices which evolved into remote management with device and data protection. The service works through a client, or application, installed on the devices that are to be protected.

Company

Prey Inc. is a private software development company. Currently, it operates offices in San Francisco and in Santiago de Chile.

Features

The main feature in the platform is location tracking for any of the supported devices, with active monitoring of device movement. The service also has automatic reactions to location triggers, such as unwanted movements, that trigger security actions instantly when the event is detected.

Provides a set of features that give the user remote security capabilities in case of theft or loss.
Remotely recover or wipe information from a lost or stolen devices.
Tools that streamline management processes and maintain a device inventory for global monitoring.
Evidence generation tool for device recovery.

Source code

The source code in Prey's agents, or applications, is open source code under the GNU General Public License (GPLv3). The online platform's code and infrastructure are private and property of Prey Inc.

Versions

The first version of the agent was released originally for Linux and Mac OS X in March 2009 and for Microsoft Windows in April 2009.^[2] Currently, Prey is available for laptops, tablets and mobiles in the macOS, Windows, Linux, Android, and iOS operating systems.

References

^ "Latest Release".
^ Pollak, Tomás (Apr 14, 2009). "Prey: Y rastrea tu computador robado (Prey: track your stolen computer)". Bootlog. Archived from the original on 2015-12-08. Retrieved 19 December 2015.

External links

[1] "Latest Release".

[Bootlog-2] Pollak, Tomás (Apr 14, 2009). "Prey: Y rastrea tu computador robado (Prey: track your stolen computer)". Bootlog. Archived from the original on 2015-12-08. Retrieved 19 December 2015.

[1]

[2]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{Other uses2|Prey}}
-{{unreliable sources|date=February 2013}}
 {{Infobox software
 | name = Prey
-| logo = Prey Logo (Radar).png
+| logo = [[File:Prey Logo 2020.png|200px]]
 | logo size = 220px
-| developer = Fork Ltd.
+| developer = Prey Inc.
 | released = {{Start date|2009|03|24}}
+| latest release version = 1.9.3<ref>[https://preyproject.com/download/ "Latest Release"].</ref>
-| ver layout = stacked
-| programming language = [[Bash (Unix shell)|Bash]], [[Java (programming language)|Java]], [[Objective-C]], [[Python (programming language)|Python]], [[Node.js]], [[Ruby (programming language)|Ruby]]
 | operating system = [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]], [[Linux]], [[OS X]], [[Android (operating system)|Android]], [[iOS]]
-| genre = [[Laptop theft#Laptop tracking software|Laptop tracking software]]
+| genre = [[Device tracking software]]
 | license = [[GNU General Public License]]; [[Proprietary software|proprietary]] (Prey Pro)
 | website = {{URL|https://preyproject.com}}
 }}
+'''Prey''' is a software and online platform for mobile [[Device tracking software|device tracking]], management, and protection available for laptops, tablets, and mobiles. The software and service is developed by the Chilean company Prey Inc., successor of the funding company Fork Ltd.
-'''Prey''' is a [[freemium]] web service for tracking and monitoring laptop and desktop computers, smartphones and other electronic devices capable of running software applications, mainly intended to help in cases of theft. The service is hosted by servers on the Internet, to which an open-source [[software agent]] on the tracked computer connects. The host can signal the agent, prompting it to reply with information about its current location, and can trigger various other actions.<ref name=Lifehacker>{{cite web |url=http://lifehacker.com/5643460/how-to-track-and-potentially-recover-your-stolen-laptop-or-android-with-prey |title=How to track and (potentially) recover your stolen laptop or Android with Prey |first=Kevin |last=Purdy |date=Sep 21, 2010 |work=Lifehacker |access-date=2010-11-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101105171201/http://lifehacker.com/5643460/how-to-track-and-potentially-recover-your-stolen-laptop-or-android-with-prey |archive-date=2010-11-05 |dead-url=no |df= }}</ref> The user can log into the Prey site if the tracked device is stolen, and request information about its location.
+Prey was originally created by the developer Tomás Pollak who together with Carlos Yaconi, the current CEO of the company, founded Fork Ltd. and released the first version of Prey for Linux.
-Prey runs on most versions of [[Microsoft Windows]] (except [[Windows Mobile]] and [[Windows Phone]]), [[Linux]], [[Android (operating system)|Android]], [[OS X]] and [[iOS]]. The computer version of the Prey agent is written primarily in [[Bash (Unix shell)|Bash]], while the mobile counterparts are written in their native languages, Java and Objective-C.<ref name=Download>{{cite web |url=http://preyproject.com/download/ |title=Prey download page |publisher=Fork Ltd |accessdate=19 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161021095259/http://preyproject.com/download |archive-date=2016-10-21 |dead-url=no |df= }}; filenames indicate version, e.g. prey-windows-1.4.2-x86.exe</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/track-down-recover-stolen-laptop-the-thief-with-prey/ |title=Track down and recover your stolen laptop with Prey |first=Justin |last=Pot |date=July 15, 2010 |work=MakeUseOf |access-date=2010-11-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100720192551/http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/track-down-recover-stolen-laptop-the-thief-with-prey/ |archive-date=2010-07-20 |dead-url=no |df= }}</ref>
+== Functioning ==
-All of the client-side [[Open source software|source code is published]] on [[GitHub]] and distributed under the [[GNU General Public License]]; the server code is proprietary,<ref name=terms>{{cite web |url=http://preyproject.com/terms/ |title=Terms of Service for Prey's Control Panel |year=2012 |publisher=Fork Ltd. |quote=The Control Panel … application is currently not licensed, and [is] maintained only by Fork. |access-date=2012-07-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120816073521/http://preyproject.com/terms |archive-date=2012-08-16 |dead-url=no |df= }}</ref> although an open source version is available for public use.<ref name="panel">{{cite web |url=https://github.com/prey/prey-standalone-control-panel |title=Prey Standalone Control Panel |year=2013 |publisher=Fork Ltd. |quote=Simple app to trigger reports for Prey Standalone users. |access-date=2012-01-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105232957/https://github.com/prey/prey-standalone-control-panel |archive-date=2013-11-05 |dead-url=no |df= }}</ref>
+Prey started as an anti-theft software for recovering lost mobile devices which evolved into remote management with device and data protection. The service works through a client, or [[Application software|application]], installed on the devices that are to be protected.
-When the device is connected to the Internet after Prey has been asked for information, typically by the device's registered user after theft of the device, the Prey server asks the software agent to send location information which is, subsequently, made available to the registered user.
 ==Company==
+Prey Inc. is a private software development company. Currently, it operates offices in San Francisco and in [[Santiago de chile|Santiago de Chile]].
-Fork Ltd.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://forkhq.com/ |title=Fork |accessdate=3 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170628111459/http://forkhq.com/ |archive-date=2017-06-28 |dead-url=no |df= }}</ref> is a privately held software company with offices in San Francisco and Hong Kong. It was founded in 2009 by CEO Tomás Pollak and COO Carlos Yaconi.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://forkhq.com/about.html |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141110151421/http://forkhq.com/about.html|archivedate=10 November 2014|title=About our company|date=2014 |publisher=Fork Ltd}}</ref>
-==Location information==
+=== Features ===
+The main feature in the platform is location tracking for any of the supported devices, with active monitoring of device movement. The service also has automatic reactions to location triggers, such as unwanted movements, that trigger security actions instantly when the event is detected.
-When a device is to be located, usually because it has been stolen and may be used by unauthorised users, the owner logs into the Prey site and reports it as missing. The Prey server then attempts to contact the device when it next connects to the Internet, asks for its location information and, optionally, submits owner-issued commands, e.g., to lock the device.
+*Provides a set of features that give the user remote security capabilities in case of theft or loss.
+*Remotely recover or wipe information from a lost or stolen devices.
+*Tools that streamline management processes and maintain a device inventory for global monitoring.
+*Evidence generation tool for device recovery.
+==Source code==
-For devices with GPS capability, such as smartphones with built-in [[GPS]] (satellite positioning) capability, the GPS location is used.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://help.preyproject.com/articles/39-how-to-enable-geolocation |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402125758/https://help.preyproject.com/articles/39-how-to-enable-geolocation|archivedate=2 April 2015| title=How to enable Geolocation|date=May 6, 2014}}</ref>
+The source code in Prey's agents, or applications, is [[open source]] code under the GNU General Public License (GPLv3). The online platform's code and infrastructure are private and property of Prey Inc.
-For devices without GPS capability, and for computers unable to connect to GPS (either because they do not have a GPS receiver or because they are located indoors and, as such, beyond the reach of GPS satellite systems), if it the device has a Wi-Fi interface, the device scans for Wi-Fi hotspots (it does not need to connect to any of them) and uses [[Wi-Fi positioning system|Wi-Fi positioning]] by means of the Google Location API to obtain location information<ref>{{cite web|url=https://preyproject.com/blog/2010/03/prey-0-3-7-now-locate-your-computer|title=Prey 0.3.7: Now, locate your computer – Prey|date=2010-03-22|author=|accessdate=4 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208144435/https://preyproject.com/blog/2010/03/prey-0-3-7-now-locate-your-computer|archive-date=2015-12-08|dead-url=no|df=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.zdnet.com/article/how-google-and-everyone-else-gets-wi-fi-location-data/ |title=How Google--and everyone else--gets Wi-Fi location data |newspaper=ZDNet |date=16 November 2011 |author=Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols |accessdate=4 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208074101/http://www.zdnet.com/article/how-google-and-everyone-else-gets-wi-fi-location-data/ |archive-date=2015-12-08 |dead-url=no |df= }}</ref>
-On devices with neither GPS nor Wi-Fi capabilities, such as most desktop and some laptop computers, Prey provides the location of the Internet server the device is connected to; although such server's location may be far from the device and, as such, of little use in pinpointing its location.
-==Additional capabilities==
-In addition to obtaining location information and issuing commands to lock the device, it is also possible to issue other commands, including turning on a device's camera to view who is using the device at that moment.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://expertvagabond.com/prey-project/ |title=Prey Project: How To Recover A Stolen Computer • Expert Vagabond |newspaper=Expertvagabond.com |date=2012 |first=Matthew |last=Karsten |accessdate=4 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208112116/http://expertvagabond.com/prey-project/ |archive-date=2015-12-08 |dead-url=no |df= }}</ref>
 ==Versions==
-The first version of the agent was released for Linux and Mac OS X in March 2009 and for Microsoft Windows in April 2009.<ref name=Bootlog>{{cite web |url=http://bootlog.org/blog/2009/03/prey-stolen-laptop-tracking-script |title=Prey: Y rastrea tu computador robado (Prey: track your stolen computer) |first=Tomás |last=Pollak |date=Apr 14, 2009 |work=Bootlog |accessdate=19 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208184850/http://bootlog.org/blog/2009/03/prey-stolen-laptop-tracking-script |archive-date=2015-12-08 |dead-url=no |df= }}</ref> Version 0.3 was available in September 2009.<ref name=TechRepublic>{{cite web |url=http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/discussions/102-317278 |title=How do I use Prey to help recover a stolen laptop? |first=Jack |last=Wallen |date=Sep 17, 2009 |work=TechRepublic |access-date=2012-08-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019153513/http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/discussions/102-317278 |archive-date=2012-10-19 |dead-url=no |df= }}</ref> Version 0.5.4 was released in December 2011;<ref name=Download/><ref name=releases>{{cite web |url=http://preyproject.com/releases/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130815201533/http://preyproject.com/releases/  |title=Prey Release Archive |publisher=Fork Ltd|date=8 May 2013 |archivedate=21 February 2014}} List of releases up to 8 May 2013</ref> on April 4, 2012, it was replaced by 0.5.3.<ref name=releases /> Version 1.6.1 was current {{As of|2016|6|lc=y}}.<ref name=Download />
+The first version of the agent was released originally for Linux and Mac OS X in March 2009 and for Microsoft Windows in April 2009.<ref name=Bootlog>{{cite web |url=http://bootlog.org/blog/2009/03/prey-stolen-laptop-tracking-script |title=Prey: Y rastrea tu computador robado (Prey: track your stolen computer) |first=Tomás |last=Pollak |date=Apr 14, 2009 |work=Bootlog |access-date=19 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208184850/http://bootlog.org/blog/2009/03/prey-stolen-laptop-tracking-script |archive-date=2015-12-08 |url-status=live }}</ref> Currently, Prey is available for laptops, tablets and mobiles in the macOS, Windows, Linux, Android, and iOS operating systems.
-Prey provides Wi-Fi auto-connect, data securing, screenshot grabbing, webcam image capturing, hardware scanning, screen locking, remote messaging, and sonic-alarm triggering.<ref name=DownloadSquad>{{cite web |url=http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/10/28/prey-mac-windows-linux-tracks-stolen-laptops-android-smartphones-for-free/ |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140506233416/http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/10/28/prey-mac-windows-linux-tracks-stolen-laptops-android-smartphones-for-free/|archivedate=6 May 2014|title=Prey tracks stolen Windows, Mac or Linux laptops, or Android smartphones, for free |first=Lee |last=Mathews |date=Oct 28, 2010 |work=Switched }}</ref> Each feature is managed as a module that can be activated on demand.
 ==References==
@@ Line 49: / Line 39: @@
 ==External links==
 * {{official website|https://preyproject.com}}
+* [http://www.maestrosdelweb.com/editorial/el-apasionado-tomas-pollak-de-bootlog Interview with Tomás Pollak]
 * {{github|prey}}
@@ Line 58: / Line 49: @@
 [[Category:Theft]]
 [[Category:Security software]]
+[[Category:2009 software]]