Anti-Theft Problems

[XenoBen 1]

I just installed ESET Smart Security on my Windows 8.1 Pro machine and tested the anti-theft part of it but i hit some problems. I created the phantom account and set it as stolen. It soon after rebooted as expected and began to sign into the phantom account, when it was fully in it was just a new user account, no background change, no webcam activity, all my software was there and could easily access my users files on the main account.

 

Have i missed something with this?

[SweX 871]

 

Hello and welcome

 

What is a Phantom Account?

The purpose of the Phantom Account is to protect your real user accounts. In ESET Anti-Theft setup, you are prompted to password-protect all your accounts. A Phantom Account requires no password, and therefore is easily accessible for the person with your device.

The Phantom Account:

 

• is automatically opened when the missing device starts (while your actual accounts are hidden)
• collects data on the device location, webcam pictures and screenshots
• sends the data to your my.eset.com account

How to revert the status of a device to normal

 

To revert a device to a normal state, click I recovered my device. The device will reboot and your normal user account will be re-enabled. After selecting I recovered my device, a device status change confirmation message will appear in a pop-up window which will include additional summary information.

 

More here on how anti-theft works and how to configure it: hxxp://kb.eset.com/esetkb/index?page=content&id=SOLN3158&actp=search&viewlocale=en_US&searchid=1395862982142

[metaller 49]

pm me your email address & device name, i'll try to check it out...

 

thx

[j0k1ns 0]

My Phantom Account was accidentally activated and I had to login to Anti-Theft and deactivate by clicking 'I recovered my device'. And I thought it would all be OK. ...

 

I then clicked the 'Run a Test' button in Activity -> Summary tab on the Anti-Theft page, but after several hours the test is still running... Even after logging off and back on again... The test just keeps running and I see no way of stopping it. The computer is definitely switched on and connected to the Internet and (obviously) it was working ok before the phantom account was accidently activated (by a child clicking it actually)...

It has since been logged on to one of the three real windows accounts and works normally. The computer concerned is running Windows XP SP 3 with all the latest (last) MS Updates installed...

 

Anyone have any suggestions, surely it should not take this long before it finds the computer and reports its location??

 

I have 3 other compputers in the same Anti-theft account and when I run a test on them they all work normally - show the location on google maps and even send the webcam images (on the one that has a webcam).

 

I've attached a screenshot to illustrate.

 

[metaller 49]

test will be running 'till some data are received. I've searched in our system for your computer, and there should be no test running yet...

 

Let me know, if it has stopped...

 

thx

peter

Edited March 31, 2014 by metaller

[j0k1ns 0]

Hi Peter,

Thanks for your prompt response...

The computer I was running the test from was this computer (which does NOT have any ESET products installed). I was simply logged in to the ESS Anti-Theft page in a web-browser, from here. That is, from my employer's computer (I work overseas and the computer in question is at home in Australia, some 2000 km away). That might explain why you couldn't find it.

 

Anyway, the 'hung' test I started did eventually stop and I logged in from my laptop later on yesterday and was able to grab 2 snap-shots from the affected machine.. So it's all back to normal now. It seems that indeed one must be patient with this. It took not merely several minutes but several hours.

 

However...

Upon reflection: I think the reason it seemed to hang like it did, is perhaps because the computer which I (remotely) initiated the test to run on, probably would have launched a warning dialog from its ESS, that the test was requested and was waiting... waiting... for someone (normally the person doing the test, who would normally be sitting in front of the computer), to click the 'OK' button on the dialogue?

There was nobody there when the test was initiated. When it worked later in the day, my daughter was sitting in front of it and I guess she would have seen the dialogue and clicked its OK button... I'll find out later if she did indeed see the warning dialogue and click OK...

Edited March 31, 2014 by j0k1ns

[metaller 49]

Yes, that's true, test must be allowed by accepting dialog on the machine, where is the test running... So, i'm glad, that now it runs as it has to

 

regards

peter

[Rockin_Eset 3]

Hi, Regarding Anti-Theft, Due to various reasons, I have created a few Anti-Theft Phantoms. I also deleted a few phantom ID's also. 

1. No matter what I try, I cannot get any phantom account to show up at Log in at start up. Going into MyEset anti theft  account all looks good, with the green check mark. Can someone help me get out of this small mess I created?

 

2. Is there a way to physically remove the phantom ID's from my C; drive user accounts. Is this where the problem lies? thanks to all

[metaller 49]

pm me your device & account name, i'll check for it...

[kiseli666 0]

Hi installed eset smart security and anti theft on my lap top and created phantom account. I now can not go back to my main account cause every time i restart my computer it goes to phantom acc. I am running win 10 on my laptop. I deleted the phantom account in https://anti-theft.eset.comand i am still loged back to it when i restart my computer. Please help i need my main account to log in back again.

[Marcos 5,074]

Please pm me the email address you use to log in to my.eset.com.