Abstract

The growth of mobile computing and hybrid working has provoked both the further growth in the amount of laptops stolen, and the vulnerability to the loss of money as well as the leaking of data of a sensitive nature. This is a widespread problem, and surveys of industry decision makers have shown that a significant percentage of IT decision makers have experienced device theft over the last few years that has usually led to a significant incident of data breach. According to recent cybersecurity reports and industry surveys, laptop theft is not merely a hardware loss but a predominant gateway to identity theft, corporate espionage, and unauthorized data access. The shift to hybrid work has exponentially increased risk, moving devices from controlled offices to homes, cafes, and transit hubs. The situation with anti-theft technology is that existing technology is facing a critical Persistence Gap: commercial applications (e.g., Prey, Find My Device) have powerful tracking capabilities but are fully dependent on the Operating System (OS) of the user. This survey presents and gives a detailed design of a new middle ground: software-defined persistence via a Hidden Secure Partition (HSP). This method is highly effective with minimum incremental costs, and when implemented with cutting-edge IP geolocation and IoT-based stealth monitoring, it would work well against the high incidence of theft in common contexts such as unattended vehicles, airports, and coworking spaces.