[Orion27]

I am a lone Mac on Windows network. I want to know how to detect if my computer in monitored
by the network adiministrator. Currently, I can see most of the computers hooked up to the network in the Finder. Looking at a colleagues computer, my laptop does not show on the network though I am connected. I am interested in allowing certain access but don't want my activities monitored i.e. internet usage and web mail ect. To detect this kind of monitoring, would a spyware scan help?

[mduell]

If you're using their network and going through their internet gateway, you can't prevent them from monitoring your internet usage. You could use various forms of encryption (from HTTPS to an SSH tunnel to an offsite machine), but they'll still know you're connecting to the internet using an encrypted protocol.

[ghporter]

Internet usage is non-denominational: simple network admin software that runs on the network switches/firewall/etc. tells the admins what network connected computer is responsible for what traffic. And as mduell says, it IS their network; you're using it with their permission, and they have every right to monitor what you do.

If it was an Internet cafe you were worried about, there would be a number of things you could do, but not connected to a corporate network.

[Orion27]

Originally Posted by ghporter

Internet usage is non-denominational: simple network admin software that runs on the network switches/firewall/etc. tells the admins what network connected computer is responsible for what traffic. And as mduell says, it IS their network; you're using it with their permission, and they have every right to monitor what you do.

If it was an Internet cafe you were worried about, there would be a number of things you could do, but not connected to a corporate network.

Of course they have a right to monitor traffic. They provide an office, supplies, a secretary, a phone and internet access. I get paid by commission. They provide no benefits or other perks.
If they are monitoring my workflow, I would like to know. If I were connected to an internet cafe,
what would I do?

[ghporter]

Cool. First and foremost, keep your OS X firewall ON (and undo any ports you've opened that aren't needed for the web and mail). Second, if you have file sharing of any kind enabled, turn it off. Those steps will protect your computer from intrusion by outsiders who snake their way through the cafe's network.

Some cafes use a password system that gets you online with their network and sets up some encryption, but that's not common. Most hot spots are wide open and without ANY form of security for the traffic zipping around in them. On the plus side, you'll never get locked out of these places because of some non-Mac fluke in their encryption system. On the minus side, all of your traffic is in the clear. But that's not really that big a problem, because anyone sniffing a hot spot's traffic is going to have to sift out all the different systems' independent threads of data to make sense of them. It can be done, but it's a pain, and there are still plenty of dopey home wireless users who haven't done anything to protect themselves, so the hackers will spend more time playing with them, not you.

Just follow some simple rules and you're fine. Make sure any passwords you enter are done without anyone watching you. Don't do any financial transactions that aren't protected by an SSL connection (which is separate and distinct from any security provided through the hot spot). Never send sensitive information (passwords, account numbers, personal identification numbers, etc.) through anything but an SSL link. You'll note that those are also simply good surfing rules. Just keep following them.

[Orion27]

Originally Posted by ghporter

Cool. First and foremost, keep your OS X firewall ON (and undo any ports you've opened that aren't needed for the web and mail). Second, if you have file sharing of any kind enabled, turn it off. Those steps will protect your computer from intrusion by outsiders who snake their way through the cafe's network.

Some cafes use a password system that gets you online with their network and sets up some encryption, but that's not common. Most hot spots are wide open and without ANY form of security for the traffic zipping around in them. On the plus side, you'll never get locked out of these places because of some non-Mac fluke in their encryption system. On the minus side, all of your traffic is in the clear. But that's not really that big a problem, because anyone sniffing a hot spot's traffic is going to have to sift out all the different systems' independent threads of data to make sense of them. It can be done, but it's a pain, and there are still plenty of dopey home wireless users who haven't done anything to protect themselves, so the hackers will spend more time playing with them, not you.

Just follow some simple rules and you're fine. Make sure any passwords you enter are done without anyone watching you. Don't do any financial transactions that aren't protected by an SSL connection (which is separate and distinct from any security provided through the hot spot). Never send sensitive information (passwords, account numbers, personal identification numbers, etc.) through anything but an SSL link. You'll note that those are also simply good surfing rules. Just keep following them.

Thanks: I'm pretty cautious and do maintain a firewall. File sharing may be an on again off again issue with me. As you said, simply good common sense rules.