Is it possible for someone to monitor my ICQ chats from the net?

[ECHO]

I am currently going through an ugly separation with my wife. I am almost certain that she has tapped my home phone line and I am wondering if there is anyway that a computer savvy person can actually record or obtain transcripts of my ICQ chats. A good friend of mine is a lawyer and we sometimes strategize on line and I would hate for my wife to know what is being discussed.

I know that ICQ stores a copy of each chat session on my HD but I was wondering if someone at a remote location could monitor what was being discussed on my computer via the internet some how.

TIA

 

[GL]

Absolutely. I would suggest that if you're concerned about the privacy and security of your online chats, you familiarize yourself with encryption. Although ICQ be default does not support encrypted chat sessions, Trillian does - and is compatible with the ICQ network. Both you and the other parties you wish to communicate with would need to use Trillian. You will also have to ensure the "SecureIM" option is checked in the ICQ Preferences.

All this being said, I think the most secure form of internet communication would be encrypted e-mails using PGP or GnuPG. Trillian's software code is closed source so nobody can verify whether their "SecureIM" is secure. I personally use GnuPG which is the GNU Project's clone of PGP. PGP has been discontinued but for Windows users it is easier to use than GnuPG. PGP/GnuPG will allow you to communicate as privately as you're going to get these days.

 

[YaKuZa]

Just out of curiousity, how did she get the jurisdiction to tap your phone lines? You need a judge to authorize that.

I would stop using ICQ if you're that paranoid.

 

[Gaunt]

What GL said pretty much sums up what I was going to say... ICQ is definately NOT secure, and yes, someone could easily watch your conversations.

If you are trully that paranoid that your online communications are being watched, I would check your computer to make sure there are no back doors hidden anywhere from viruses or such. Usually a virus scanner will solve this problem.

 

[ElDonAntonio]

I'd also install a firewall like Zonealarm, a spyware remover like Ad-Aware and an anti-virus like Norton Antivirus. If you want to be even more secure, get a basic hardware firewall. They're usually included as part of routers (these babies let you share one internet connection and one printer among all your PCs). I have one at home, and it's absolutely great.

And above all, if I were you, I'd have a long talk in the park with your wife to straighten things out. I'm sure you guys can resolve this in a rational and peaceful manner. Good luck man!