[waterbuck]

I use a mac 10.3 wireless-equipped laptop, with a cisco VPN client to log into my workplace Exchange server and see my email over Entourage.

My home internet connection is set up by a router that then sends the signal from the DSL modem to my Airport.

Generally to try to keep work and personal pursuits separate, I have one "user" for work and one "user" for home. In my work user I activate the VPN client, check email, respond, and then shut down the VPN.

Yesterday I made the mistake of turning on the VPN client, checking email and then switching users without shutting down the VPN client.I browsed some websites I would just assume my workplace didn't know about (e.g. prurient ones!).

When I returned to work stuff I realized the vpn client had been on "all along".

I dont know a lot abput VPN clients, but by checking the statistics tab I determined that "local LAN" was disabled, suggesting that all internet traffic might have been channelled through the workplace server. Is that likely?

Does the fact that I was online from a different "user" interface on the same machine alter that?

How likely is it that my workplace would have monitored the websites?
Anyone familiar with this?

Is it best to fess up to the IT director, apologize, etc...or wait and see?

[olePigeon]

It really depends on where you work and how they want to manage their employee information. Some companies could care less what you browse, others log every mouse click.

[flanders]

i say leave it until you get questioned...then just fess up then...hopefully you're not logged in detail.

[AlbertWu]

Cisco's VPN client tends to take over your network stack. Most likely your data went through it even though you were logged on as a different user.

[Switched2Mac]

That is correct.

While the Cisco VPN client is engaged, all network traffic from your Mac (regardless of which user is active) will go across the VPN tunnel to your company Cisco VPN terminating device, and on to your company network.

From there, it most likely went to a proxy server and back out the Internet, with every bit of Internet activity being logged. Just like you were sitting at your desk at work. That is the purpose of VPN, after all, to put your workstation on the company network.

You might want to make it a habit of rebooting after using your "work" logon. Just to be sure.

An old friend once told me about his ADD principle at work:

(A)dmit nothing.
(D)eny everything.
(D)emand proof.

Wait for them to approach you. Some admins are frankly too busy and may well miss your "behavior" in the logs.