How can thieves break into my MacBook Pro before I locked it down with Find My Mac?

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How can thieves break into my MacBook Pro before I locked it down with Find My Mac?

My late-2019 16" MacBook Pro was stolen a week ago when thieves smashed my car window in San Francisco. Because I was more concerned about my stolen passport, I didn't enable the "Mark as Lost" function on Find My Mac until 13 hours later. That was 12 hours after the last attempted login onto my machine.

What can thieves do in this timeframe to break into my Mac and steal personal information? Because the machine came with a T2 security chip, I suppose it wouldn't be worth the effort to break into it after I locked it down. IIRC thieves can't circumvent this by simply resetting the NVRAM. However, I hadn't enabled FileVault yet.

Is it worth it for me to erase my Mac remotely now? I still haven't done it because it would be impossible to track it from now on. Either the thieves had already broken in, or they missed the window and have to deal with the Find My Mac lockdown. It seems I can do little to alter the outcome by erasing it.

Finally, what can I do to protect myself other than to change my account password?

MacBook Pro Retina

Posted on Feb 7, 2020 4:33 PM

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Answer 1

brenden dv

Community Specialist

Feb 10, 2020 10:04 AM in response to baedling

Hi baedling,

Thank you for using the Apple Support Communities! I understand your MacBook Pro was recently stolen, and you have some questions about handling this situation. I can share information to help address some of your concerns.

I can't necessarily speak to your first question about what thieves can do to gain access to your Mac, however, you can certainly find more information about the Apple T2 Security Chip here, and what it offers: About the Apple T2 Security Chip - Apple Support. FileVault would need to have been turned on so that your Mac requires a password to decrypt your data: About encrypted storage on your new Mac - Apple Support.

When your Mac is stolen, Apple suggests the use of Find My services to help you manage your Mac and protect your information: If your Mac is lost or stolen - Apple Support. Erasing your Mac remotely would be at your discretion.

If you are unable to recover your Mac, it is recommended to change your Apple ID password, and passwords to any other accounts that you were using with your Mac, including email, banking, social media sites, etc. You should also report your stolen Mac to local law enforcement.

If you feel your Apple ID account has become compromised, please see this article for further recommendations: If you think your Apple ID has been compromised - Apple Support.

Best regards.

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How can thieves break into my MacBook Pro before I locked it down with Find My Mac?

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