[HippyShoes]

Hey

so here's a paranoid question for you ... Can my boss/network admin see what I'm downloading at work?

I have my own laptop which I take with me each day, so whatever I have on my machine is fairly private. The windows network I plug in to doesn't block P2P apps .. but will there be a log of file names I've downloaded somewhere on the network, or any other thing to worry about?

Thanks in advance,

HS

[dreilly1]

Short answer: yes.

Long answer: there's so much information flying in and out of your company's network that it's virtually impossible to track all of it all of the time. It's much easier, however, to track only some of it. For instance, the common P2P ports: just because your company gives you access to them doesn't mean that they're not sniffing them.
Or, if they have reason to suspect that you're downloading... ahem... "private" information that may violate some of their policies, they can potentially log everything you do on the network if they know what they're doing.

So, you should assume that your boss can see everything you do, all the time, even though he probably won't bother. Even if you bought the laptop yourself and have personal files on it, you should still keep all your work-day network activities strictly work-related. (like, posting on MacNN! )

[-Q-]

What dreilly1 said.

Most likely, while all the network traffic is logged somewhere, no one is 'watching' it on a daily basis. But if there's a sign of trouble, or threat of a lawsuit, you can bet they'll take a look at the logs quite quickly to narrow down the IP address that was downloading the badness.

If your job is important to you, don't do stuff that can get you fired.

[Applefreak01]

If they installed some spy/monitoring software on your laptop when you weren't looking then they could see your screen or keys that you typed.

I think it's most likely they have no idea what you are doing if your the only Mac on a Windows network then it's more likely they have no idea how to use a Mac let along spy on one.

They could be logging the IP address that you connect to but most P2P are something like 10.10.0.1:5050 or something like that so they couldn't just type the IP address into internet explorer and see that P2P network, they would have to have the P2P program that you are using.

I don't use P2P anymore, haven't for a year. Now they are getting smart and putting exe files that look like something you might want to download but when you run them they log your IP address and send it your ISP or the FBI lol. But you have to use a Windows computer to worry about the exe's. Still you can download viruses on your Mac and transfer them over to your Windows network without even knowing it. I wouldn't recommend using P2P at work anymore.

I know Microsoft have an application Remote Desktop Client that will allow Mac users to login to a Windows computer setup to take Remote Desktop connections. Using that a Mac user can take control of a Windows PC and see the screen just like the Mac user was sitting in front of the PC. I'm not sure if there is a Windows application that would work with Apple's Remote Desktop to spy on your laptop.

But if I were you I wouldn't do anything that you shouldn't be doing at work. You never know some IT guy or your boss might find a way to view what your are doing and the next thing your know you have a pink slip in your hands.

[HippyShoes]

damn! No more fast downloads for me then I guess.

Thanks for the info guys. I'm in a very small office so I guess it wouldn't be hard to trace who downloaded what .. but is there really a log of each file coming through the network? ie. can they see that it was an .mp3 for example?

HS

[dreilly1]

Originally posted by HippyShoes:
damn! No more fast downloads for me then I guess.

Thanks for the info guys. I'm in a very small office so I guess it wouldn't be hard to trace who downloaded what .. but is there really a log of each file coming through the network? ie. can they see that it was an .mp3 for example?

HS

Whoever is administering the network can potentially see every byte that your computer ever transmits, if they want to. They can sort through that for whatever they want, if they have the right software.

But a small office probably doesn't have this type of software. In fact, if it's really small, nobody may really care one way or the other. I think you should ask your network guy what he thinks about your p2p habit. And if your place is small enough to not have a network guy, then you're probably OK.

Some P2P apps encrypt traffic, though. If you're really paranoid, find one of these.

[-Q-]

Originally posted by dreilly1:
But a small office probably doesn't have this type of software. In fact, if it's really small, nobody may really care one way or the other. I think you should ask your network guy what he thinks about your p2p habit. And if your place is small enough to not have a network guy, then you're probably OK.

Of course, you could always go the 'it's better to ask forgiveness than permission' route.

[John Strung]

Actually, it is dead simple to monitor who is downloading what, even in a small office. If the office is, for instance, connected to a broadband connecton using something as simple as a LinkSys BEFSR-41, all the office administrator has to do is to turn on the logging function of the LinkSys router and it will keep track of every web site everyone visits.

We did exactly that in our small office when we got concerned about network traffic and put a stop to someone who was running a music sharing program.

[ginoledesma]

In larger corporate offices (which have high-end network equipment), every packet that crosses the network routers can be logged. Cisco is particularly popular for its NetFlow data, which keeps track of each packet that crosses it. Netflow data can be used to determine the usage trends, down to which ports are most frequently used, the highest bandwidth user (top talkers, and the like. Some companies even establish an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) that monitors abnormal behavior in the network.

Your company should have an acceptable use policy of the network. But do remember that you are using your company's resources, and its always best to err on the safe side. In the event of potential terrorist or something similar cases, the government will probably have access to whatever data they can get their hands on, so most likely even your boss will have that power should he/she need it.

[ghporter]

To expound on what ginoledesma said, most companies are far less worried about terrorism than they are about productivity and use of corporate resources. That means that if you're downloading stuff when you should be working they're going to be ticked off. It also means that they're paying for your playing (both the cost of the Internet connectivity and your salary), which is most likely not part of your employment agreement.

In smaller companies, you may be able to work out some personal download time with the network administrator AND your boss, but look at things from their point of view before you even ask. If you're a sterling employee who is more productive than everyone around you, you're more likely to get your boss' permission. And if you ask to stay late (off the clock) to use the network after peak business hours, then the net admin is more likely to approve your request. After all, you don't want to gum up everybody else's productive work, you just don't want to spend hours downloading at home. Being flexible and paying attention to what is important to other folks is both tactically smart and more polite.

[ginoledesma]

I agree with Glenn. It also depends on the nature of your company, and how stingy your boss or network administrators can be. Network admins are tasked with ensuring that the network stays up and performs reliably all the time. Getting questions from the boss about "what's wrong with the network" or "why's the network slow" is not one of the things they like hearing.

One rule to remember is to never hog the bandwidth. That will be sure to catch the eye of the network admin and (potentially) your boss. Even if you're granted permission, its always best to play well with others. Certain programs have a "throttling" mechanism, that is, they limit the amount of bandwidth they use. What some friends of mine do is to leave a download running the whole day (throughout workhours) by limiting the amount of bandwidth used. By the end of the work day, the download usually finishes without bothering a lot of people.

However, between (huge) downloads and instant messaging, in the company I work for, its the latter that gets met with a stern reprimand, the former usually a warning only.