Is my networking buddies looking at what i do?

[faye]

Hi,

I am using Win7 pro, using Microsoft Security Essential,

but is my networking buddy(IT staffs) looking at what i do?

Like do they know what i am downloading, watching and listening to?

I don't have VNC installed. I know most of the time they use VNC to fix little issues.

 

[JackMDS]

They might or might not depending on how the Network and the computers were configured.


😎

 

[6string]

You have to assume they are, its pretty common practice for IT staff to monitor and record computer activity such as: internet sites you visit, emails send and received, inventory what software is on your computer, bandwidth usage, etc. etc.

 

[imagoon]

It is pretty typical for everything on a corporate network to be monitored. MSE / using other DNS servers and the like will not hide you. On my network there was a simple rule at the edge:

Inside:public
Port 53 [UDP] Allow [Internal DNS server IPs]
Port 53 Deny:Deny

Basically the only servers in the company that could resolve outside DNS were the primary DNS servers. This blocked access to things like google / opendns. Add on that we monitored netflow on all that ingress and egress points, we would be quite aware that you were surfing facebook, complete with IP address and reverse looked up machine name.

 

[talion83]

They don't need anything installed on your computer to monitor any of that. You are sending requests over the network which ultimately are going out over 1 common spot - the router. They monitor the router.

And there is some fun software out there to help out making it really easy - especially if the router or switches support things like sFlow/NetFlow. I have 13 branch offices routing through my corporate with limited data connections (T1's) - you better believe I am keeping an eye on things to make sure that someone at one office isn't streaming video as that is eating up the limited bandwidth for their ENTIRE office.

VNC is really only used for when we need to connect to your computer to troubleshoot an issue. Aside from that, VNC really isn't useful for 'spying' as we would actually need you to visually pull up what we want. Why do that when we can get all of the information in other ways?

 

[MtnMan]

If there is a proxy server, you betcha

 

[faye]

what if i am behind the windows firewall?

 

[Ghiedo27]

Windows firewall has nothing to do with it, really. They don't have to ask your computer for any information. They can look at at all of the messages that go across their network. From there it's easy to know what you're accessing.

 

[unokitty]

If you are using plain text protocols (in contrast to a VPNs) and you are going across an enterprise network, anyone that can monitor that network has the potential to see anything that you are doing.

Whether or not, they have the legal right would depend upon the enterprise's policy.

If you are at work, it is probably prudent to assume that you are being monitored. If you are at a research university, or other enterprise, then it would depend...

Best of luck,
Uno

 

[spidey07]

If you are using plain text protocols (in contrast to a VPNs) and you are going across an enterprise network, anyone that can monitor that network has the potential to see anything that you are doing.

Whether or not, they have the legal right would depend upon the enterprise's policy.

If you are at work, it is probably prudent to assume that you are being monitored. If you are at a research university, or other enterprise, then it would depend...

Best of luck,
Uno

It's their private network, they can do anything they damn well please and not tell you they're monitoring everything you do. It's their property.

Also, I frequently use transparent proxies (as well as transparent SSL proxy) - can see and record everything you do. Along with packeteer to log everything regardless even if you change the port.

 

[mammador]

Yes. All network traffic is, and frankly has to be, monitored. It's probably best to verify what is acceptable content.