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Critical Security Flaw in "Mark as Lost" Feature - Loss of Tracking and Lack of Location History

Hello Apple Community,


I want to address a serious issue with Apple's "Mark as Lost" feature that has recently caused me significant problems:


1) Loss of Tracking After Activation: Once you mark a device as lost, you lose the ability to track it. This is completely counterproductive and jeopardizes the chance of recovering the device.

2) No Location History: There's no way to retrieve a location history. This is particularly problematic when you want to take legal action and need evidence.


My case: My MacBook was stolen. I know the person who has it, but they deny possession. The device even still has WiFi nearby, but I can't track it because I marked it as lost.


Problems:


- I can't prove that the device is still in the suspected person's apartment.

- The police and my lawyer can't act effectively without this information.


Suggestions for improvement:


1) Maintain tracking functionality even in "Lost" mode

2) Introduce a retrievable location history for such cases

3) Possibility for temporary unlocking for tracking purposes

4) If 1-3 are not possible, provide a clear warning that the tracking function will be lost when marking a device as lost

5) Offer the option to receive an email with the current location standard when marking as lost

6) Always add the last known position when deactivating the device


These changes would significantly improve the security of our devices and better support us in difficult situations.


Has anyone had similar experiences or ideas on how to address this issue?

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 14.5

Posted on Oct 13, 2024 5:15 AM

Reply
2 replies

Oct 13, 2024 2:34 PM in response to rrp89

(1) is not true. Mark as Lost still shows the device's location. Read If your Mac is lost or stolen - Apple Support to learn how it works. I just tried it. It works exactly as described.


  • If whoever has your Mac erased it or has your Apple ID credentials, then it can be removed from Find My and / or can disable location services. The obvious solution is to never divulge your Apple ID credentials to anyone under any circumstances, and to secure your Mac with a reasonably secure password. Those are common sense precautions that everyone should follow.
  • If you choose to remotely erase the Mac, then your ability to use Find My ends.


(2) has never been implemented. I would not advocate for its implementation because if you can see its location history, someone else would be able see your location history. That's an invasion of privacy I would not want.


Refer to 4a and 6 respectively for specifics.


Apple thinks about these things, but if you believe you have a better idea then tell Apple. Use this link: Product Feedback - Apple. They do not use this site for that purpose.

Critical Security Flaw in "Mark as Lost" Feature - Loss of Tracking and Lack of Location History

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