Reporting devices missing or stolen

There are a number of ways to determine that a device is missing. A user may inform you that they have misplaced their device, or some devices in your fleet may simply stop checking in to the Absolute Monitoring Center. These devices may be offline because they are no longer assigned to a user, or it may indicate that the devices are missing. The Dark Devices report shows all devices that have not checked in during the past 30 days.

To help you track these devices, you can report them as missing in the Secure Endpoint Console. When a missing device checks in and uploads its latest hardware information, Absolute sends you an email notification. You can then go to the Missing Devices page to see when the device checked in and from which network. If necessary, you can then initiate a remedial action, such as freezing the device, or submitting a theft report if you think the device has been stolen.

Depending on the Absolute product licenses associated with your account, theft reports may not be available.

Submit a theft report to the Absolute Investigations team if all of the following conditions apply:

• The device is missing as a result of a criminal act
• You are prepared to proceed with a criminal investigation, including prosecution of the perpetrator

• You have filed a police report with law enforcement and have obtained a copy of the report

  If the police report is not available at the time you submit the theft report, and the device is eligible for the Service Guarantee, you must upload a copy of the report within 30 days of the theft report date.

If any of these conditions are not met, do not submit a theft report. However, you can track the device in the Secure Endpoint Console by reporting it missing.

To report a single device missing:

1. Log in to the Secure Endpoint Console as a user with Manage permissions for Missing Device.
2. On the device's Device Details page, click > Report missing or stolen.
3. Click Track Missing Device to open the Report Missing Devices dialog. The device shows in the Track this device section.

4. To receive an email notification when the device checks in:

   1. Click the Email field to open the list of email addresses associated with your account.
   2. Begin entering each email address and then select it from the list. To send a notification to individuals that are not console users, enter their full email address, pressing Enter after each one. To remove an address, click its icon.
5. When you're done, click Report 1 device.

The device is added to the Missing Devices page, its status is set to Missing on its Device Details page, and a Device reported missing event is logged to Event History. If the device checks in and uploads its latest hardware information, email notifications are sent to the specified email addresses, and a Missing device checked in event is logged.

For Chromebooks devices that have been synced to the Secure Endpoint Console, but don't have the Absolute for Chromebooks extension deployed to the device, email notifications are sent once an authorized user logs into the device and the extension is deployed.

To report multiple devices missing:

1. Log in to the Secure Endpoint Console as a user with Manage permissions for Missing Device.
2. From the navigation bar, open a page that supports device actions. For example, open the All Devices page in the Devices area or open the Makes and Models report.
3. In the work area, use the search field or filters to find the devices you want to report missing.

4. In the results grid, select each device you want to include in the request. To select all devices, select the Select All checkbox in the result grid header. You can select up to 10,000 devices. To select consecutive devices, select the first device and then hold down the Shift key and select the last device. To remove all selections, click Clear all.

5. Click > Report missing or stolen.
6. Click Track Missing Device to open the Report Missing Devices dialog.

7. To receive an email notification when the device checks in:

   1. Click the Email field to open the list of email addresses associated with your account.
   2. Begin entering each email address and then select it from the list. To send a notification to individuals that are not console users, enter their full email address, pressing Enter after each one. To remove an address, click its icon.
8. When you're done, click Report x devices.

Alternatively, you can upload a file of device identifiers and submit a request.

Each device is added to the Missing Devices page, its status is set to Missing on its Device Details page, and a Device reported missing event is logged to Event History. If a device checks in and uploads its latest hardware information, email notifications are sent to the specified email addresses, and a Missing device checked in event is logged.

For Chromebooks devices that have been synced to the Secure Endpoint Console, but don't have the Absolute for Chromebooks extension deployed to the device, email notifications are sent once an authorized user logs into the device and the extension is deployed.

You can't report multiple devices stolen. Submit each device individually in a separate theft report.

To report a single device stolen, see Reporting devices stolen for information about prerequisites and detailed instructions for creating a theft report.